Paper Mario X
by Child at Heart Forever
Summary: Paper Mario novelization with a twist: the X stands for crossover! When dark times come across the lands, and there's no use wishing on a star…sometimes the best thing to do is simply get Mario to fix it for you. But when he finds his story is intertwined with other heroes, Mario might not have to do it alone...and maybe even make new friends! OLDFIC
1. How to Steal a Castle

**After a good deal of sweat, blood, tears, and several weeks, I couldn't take putting it off anymore and just decided to post my greatest creation a bit early. I promised I wouldn't until it was completely done, but my mind was melting. Anyway, here it is! Big thanks to Youtube Videos for guiding me on a game I've never played! **

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Paper Mario X

Prologue: How to Steal a Castle

_Today…I'm going to tell you the story of "Star Spirits and Good Wishes"._

_Far, f__ar away beyond the sky, way above the clouds, it's been said that there was a haven where the Stars lived. In the sanctuary of Star Haven there rested a fabled treasure called the Star Rod, which had the power to grant all wishes, anywhere. Using this wondrous Star Rod, the seven revered Star Spirits watched over all the peaceful worlds carefully...very carefully. _

_Then one day, a terrible thing happened...The evil king Bowser appeared in Star Haven and stole the Star Rod! _

"Ha ha ha! Yeah! I did! Gwa ha ha ha ha! So I can, at long last, beat my archenemy, Mario! I'll take this Star Rod!" he jumped into his Koopa Klown Kar and barked, "Do it, Kammy Koopa!"

Kammy Koopa, his right hand Magikoopa, hovered up to the divine Star Rod and swiped it right off the pedestal. The Star Spirits pleaded for Bowser to stop, but the Koopa King ignored their cries and snatched the Star Rod for himself.

"Yeah! Now let's try using it!"

_Using its incredible power he quickly imprisoned the seven Star Spirits! Taking off quickly, he set out to begin his reign of terror..._

_Now Star Kids may rise to the Haven to deliver people's wishes…but those wishes will not come true. _

. . .

Completely unaware of the trouble in far-off Star Haven, Mario was back at home in the Mushroom Kingdom…

A little house planted in a small, green, wooded area, lived the Mario Brothers. Parakarry, the Mushroom Kingdom's resident mailman, floated up to the mail box and placed a single letter into it.

"MAILCALL!" he wailed before flying off. Luigi came out to grab the mail, like he did everyday, to see if there was any fan mail. Naturally, there was only something for Mario. The green plumber grunted at that, sulking back inside.

"Hey Mario! We got a letter from Princess Peach!" Luigi informed.

Mario walked in from the other room and looked at Luigi with excitement.

"I'll read it to you, OK?" asked Luigi while pulling the letter out. "All Right…let's see…"

_I'm throwing a party at my castle today! Mario and Luigi, I'd be honored if you could both attend. Many guests from different towns and worlds are hoping to meet you. There will be tasty sweets and all kinds of entertainment! I hope to see you here soon!_

_Sincerely, _

_Peach_

"Cake…" thought Mario.

With much anticipation, he and his brother Luigi set off for the party, oblivious to the chaos that lay ahead...

Luigi and Mario immediately headed out the door for the castle. If there was an awesome party with fans, it would be at Peach's place. They wasted no time in slipping down the warp pipe. They entered Toad Town, where the sky was bright blue. A few Toads waved to the duo; some shouted hi. The Mario Bros. just smiled back, continuing down the path. Another right, and a turn north was a star gate that led to Peach's Castle. Luigi was so excited he almost jumped into his older brother.

"What a magnificent castle!" Luigi gasped when they entered. "I never get used to this place. It looks like a lot of guests are already here!" There were folk from all over the Mushroom Kingdom, and even more from other worlds. A small group in the corner eyed Mario being screamed at by Fan Toads. They definitely weren't from the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario noticed them too, especially when he noticed them making their way over to the plumber. The Fan Toads conveniently clear out just as they arrived.

"Well hi there!" cried a small pink puff, circling Mario rather excitedly. "You sure seem like a celebrity around these parts!"

Mario nervously scratched his head, but gave the puff an answer of "Sort of".

"Ooh, really? Are you the hero of this world?"

Mario: You might say that…

"Awesome! We're the heroes of the worlds we come from!" the puff held out his hand and shook Mario's. "My name is Kirby! I come all the way from Popstar! It's really, really colorful there!"

"Kirby is pretty quick to the formalities," sighed a man in green, walking up to Mario as well. "The name's Link! I might be the Hero of time, and an adventurer extraordinaire, but I'm really not that special-"

"Adventurer extraordinaire!" snorted the figure in the orange suit, turning away with a head shake. Link made a face and turned back to Mario.

"Well, regardless, I'm the hero of Hyrule and quite hilarious-"

"Hilarious is an overstatement," snickered a blue hedgehog. Link threw up his hands in frustration.

"Why does everyone feel the need to interrupt me?"

"I'm Sonic- Sonic the Hedgehog!" the teenaged Mobian continued, lightly punching Mario on the shoulder. "You don't say much, but I can see myself hanging out with ya. Besides, who wouldn't want to hang out with the fastest thing alive!"

"_Me,"_ grunted the orange suited figure. Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Eh, don't mind Sam over there-"

"My name is Samus," she said sternly, removing her helmet as she approached Mario. When she noticed Mario's widened eyes, she smirked a little. "Wasn't expecting me to be a woman, were you?"

Mario shook his head.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm only really well known for wiping out all the Metroids from where I come from…and if there's anyone you shouldn't be minding, it's Nic."

Sonic grunted and walked away from her. "At least Sam is a decent nickname- I hate being called Nic!"

As Sonic and Samus suddenly burst into a heated debate, Mario was lost in thought. He never believed he would get to meet the heroes from some of the other worlds. In fact, he thought they didn't even exist! Other worlds were just rumors, after all...

After staring at the silent plumber, Kirby got bored and gawked at the yummy snack table. He snuck off while Sonic and Samus took their debate elsewhere. Mario glanced at Link who simply shrugged.

"Don't worry Mario- that's the norm for us. We travel together so much, we're almost like a discombobulated family!" he laughed. "Oh, I bet you're here to see Peach, aren't you? Well, sorry that we kinda ambushed you like that- I bet she's waiting!"

Mario nodded and prepared to leave, but Link stopped him one final time.

"Oh, by the way, Princess Zelda and Amy Rose should be around here somewhere- they came with us, and we haven't seen them since we arrived. If you see a princess and a pink hedgehog, would you send them our way?"

Mario said he would keep an eye out, which satisfied Link. He went to go break up the fight with Sonic and Samus. Mario didn't mind; it was time to talk to Peach anyway. He dashed up the red velvet stairs, past the guards (who knew he was a personal friend) and into another room filled with more guests. A fairy floated over to Mario and asked for an autograph. Mario grinned and gave her one.

Passing a penguin from Shiver City, Knuckles, and Meta Knight, he entered yet another door. He trotted down a long hall, another guard friend let him in the door, and there was Peach. She turned to see who was in her private quarters, and was overjoyed to see Mario.

"Oh Mario! You came to the party to see me! You're so sweet! Thank you!" she gushed. Mario just shrugged. "I was just resting a bit. It gets tiring greeting all those guests out there!" Mario agreed. "Nobody will bother us here. Shall we relax and chat just the two of us?" Peach asked. The red hero instantly nodded.

"It was a lovely day today, so I'm sure it's comfortable out on the balcony right now. Would you accompany me, Mario?"

Before either could make a move, the ground began to shake violently. The ground outside the castle was being ripped up by some unknown force. Trees fell as the castle started to rise. Bowser's Fortress was underneath it, flying them both up to the sky. Mario and Peach paced at an excited pace. It was enough to make anyone nerve shot! Suddenly, it went dark, and the two stopped running.

"Oh! Are you all right Mario? What in this world was that?" Peach wondered frantically. She looked around outside at the night sky-NIGHT sky?

"Oh my! Look Mario! It's still daytime isn't it? …but I can see the stars outside!" the princess exclaimed in shock. The glass suddenly broke, and a dark figure tromped into the room.

"Grwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Long time no see Princess Peach!" a familiar voice bellowed.

"…Bowser? But it can't be! It was you who made the ground shake just now, wasn't it! Whatever did you do?" Peach cried.

"Yeah, that was me! I've lifted your castle up into the sky! It's sitting on my castle as we speak! Wasn't expecting that huh? This castle's under my control now, my dear. Now you will obey ME!" Bowser mocked. Mario intervened, skidding in front of the princess and striking a battle pose.

"Huh? Mario? What a shock! Ha! Not really! I expected you to turn up, right on cue! You're just as annoying as ever," Bowser grumbled. "Unfortunately for you, there's nothing you can do this time."

Peach just rolled her eyes. "Haven't you learned your lesson by now, Bowser? You can never defeat Mario! Why don't you just give up already?"

"True, true, I have had my problems in the past...but this time is different!" Bowser began. "This time I'm gonna win! Okay tough guy! Let's go!"

Bowser laughed as he and Mario prepared to battle. Peach told Mario he could do it and the plumber responded with a nod. Mario attacked Bowser, but it only did a little point of damage. Bowser stomped toward his nemesis and clawed his face. Mario cringed, but regardless of Peach's shocked cry, he was fine. The battle continued on like that, until Bowser got an even more evil look in his eyes.

"Good old Mario…always fighting. You're a thorn in my side. But today, your pathetic little attacks won't beat me!" Bowser roared. He pulled out the legendary Star Rod as he began to cackle again. "Take a look at this! Look what I stole from Star Haven! It's called the Star Rod!"

Mario's eyes widened, but he said nothing.

"This fine piece of work has the power to grant any wish in the whole wide worlds! And when I use the Star Rod to increase my strength, not even you can beat me Mario!" Bowser gathered some Star Power, Mario glaring all the while. The Koopa King was now invincible.

"GRAWH HA HA HA! How do you like THAT Mario?" Bowser gloated before sending Mario in a Danger state. Mario started to inhale like he was exhausted in one blow, and Peach hid her eyes. Mario got a little surprise when he jumped on Bowser to see that it didn't hurt him, which made Bowser taunt even more. The king gave his opponent another taste of the end of his claws.

Eventually Mario realized he could only take one more hit. It was pointless to strike Bowser, since it wouldn't work. But it was the only way. He forced himself to pound his foot into Bowser one last time.

It was futile.

"Good night Mario!" Bowser cackled, finishing off with a mega fire breath attack that defeated Mario right where he stood. He collapsed while Peach mourned over him.

"Oh no Mario! Get up!" Peach sobbed.

"Yes! Oh yes! I finally did it! I beat my rival Mario! YESSSSS!" Bowser boasted.

Kammy Koopa behind him added, "Congratulations on your victory your Viciousness! That's why you're the king!"

"As long as I have this Star Rod, everything I wish will come true! Nothing can stop me!" growled Bowser happily. "Well, well, well…I might as well give Mario a proper good-bye…" Bowser raised the Star Rod high, charging it with massive amounts of energy. With one fatal blast, Mario was propelled into the sky, most likely never to be seen again. Just then, Link, Kirby, Sonic, and Samus burst through the door with their weapons ready.

"What did you do to Mario, Bowser!" Kirby yelled.

"Even if you got rid of him, we can still defeat you!" Sonic cried.

"You're not the first lizard I've faced!" Samus snickered.

"Grwah ha! If Mario couldn't beat me, what makes you think you could?" Bowser taunted.

"Give us something to work with," Link challenged, preparing his sword.

Bowser laughed again as Samus tried to hit him with a missile. It didn't affect him to the shock of Samus.

"Told ya I was invincible!" he taunted, giving her a mighty punch. It was enough to send her flying across the room. Samus thumped into the wall and slumped into a pile on the floor, her suit sparking with damage. Kirby gasped and pulled out his trusty hammer. Before he could smash it down on Bowser's head, the monster unleashed a blaze of fire, burned it, and left Kirby in the same state as Samus. Link and Sonic gave a nod to each other and dashed at Bowser at the same time. Sonic kicked him while Link hacked at the arm. Still no damage was done to Bowser. He laughed again.

"I had a feeling you two would be the hardest. Can't expect the same from a round thing and a woman…"

"You'd better give that rod back before we have to really deal with you!" Sonic scowled.

"No way! With this thing, I'll not just rule the Mushroom kingdom, but Hyrule, Mobius, Popstar, Metroid, and all the rest of them!" Bowser bragged.

"Not unless we find Mario and help him take you down!" added link.

"I don't think so…I've got the power to separate all four of you so that you'll never be able to find Mario…and just for safe measure, I'll make you forget this ever happened!" Bowser bellowed. The heroes didn't even get a chance to run when the rod sparked with power. One fatal blast sent the four of them flying in different direction, sending them all into several places without one another, and without memory of what they had witnessed.

"Ha ha ha ha…I love this thing!" Bowser chuckled. Peach just started to cry, letting Bowser's cronies take her away...

. . .

Mario toppled downward, falling out of the Castle in the sky to an unknown destination. Where would he land? Would he live? How will he save Peach? What happened to his other world friends? With the way things looked now, there wasn't really much hope.

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**Ah yes, the very epic beginning. Updates are every Friday, so be on the lookout!**

**EDIT: I'm beginning to edit the chapters of this story, so that they will be of a higher quality than before. So, for anyone that's reading this again and finds that things are different, that's why. (When I finish editing the whole story, I'll take this message out.)**


	2. The Gates of a New Adventure

Paper Mario X

Chapter 1: The Gates of a New Adventure

Mario was knocked out in a grassy field. It seemed like the end for him. Being beaten by Bowser was enough, but getting beat by Bowser and knocked out a 10,000-foot high window was out of the question. He let out what was thought to be his last breath; some say it was to say farewell to his beautiful mustache. Suddenly, seven star spirits appeared and hovered around him, giving him life and energy.

"Oh thank Heavens! He's been gravely injured, but he'll recover!" A star with a pink bow exclaimed.

"But Bowser has the Star Rod! He's mightier than Mario!" another star with a mustache added. "It's hopeless! All is lost!"

"Everyone, just calm down. As long as we pull together, there is always hope! Now…our fates are in Mario's hands. We need to revive him! Gather round everyone! Send Mario your power!" an older star with a bushy grey mustache ordered.

All the stars did as they were told and there was a brief sparkle of star around Mario.

"Phew…that's all we can do right now. Mario…please…get up please!" the older star pleaded. The star spirits disappeared one by one, causing the sky to brighten and the future to have hope. A Goomba girl strolled into the clearing, claiming she heard something fall around there. She glanced at the fallen man.

"Oh…I wonder who that could be?" she asked herself. The goomba waddled over and nudged Mario. "This red hat…this shirt…and this mustache…you know, he really looks like the one and only Mario!"

"It couldn't be…could it? The real Mario?" The girl went into a frenzy trying to wake the plumber up. "Oh no! He won't wake up! Oh, oh! What am I going to do?" She darted off, shouting some of her family members' names.

. . .

Mario was still sleeping, but this time, he was in a bed in a small house. In a dream, the old star appeared to him.

"Mario…can you hear me Mario?" he asked. "I'm Eldstar, a Star Spirit…I have something very important to tell you…it concerns the princess…all of the Mushroom Kingdom…and many more lands…But sadly, I haven't the strength to talk to you here. Mario, I need to have you come to Shooting Star Summit. Please…Mario…We Star Spirits will be waiting for you…" Eldstar vanished, and Mario finally sat up. He stood up, glancing around for the star. A Toad slammed the door open and gaped when he saw Mario awake.

"Oh…Mario! I'm so happy to see you awake! You haven't opened your eyes for days and days! Everyone's been worried sick!" the Toad explained, "This place is Goomba Village, just west of Toad Town. The only residents are me and a family of Goombas. The Goombas in the family are the nicest you'll ever meet. They're the ones who found you unconscious in the forest and carried you here to get better."

Mario then remembered Eldstar's plea and quickly told the Toad about it.

"Huh? A star with a mustache? You're saying a star with a mustache told you to go to Shooting Star Summit?" asked the Toad. Mario nodded his head. "No…I didn't see anyone like that. I sure didn't see anyone come in or out of this house! I wonder Mario…if you just had a dream?"

Mario: WHAT?

"Although maybe not…It could have been some sort of message from a Star Spirit. They live in Star Haven. Shooting Star Summit is the closest place to Star Haven, so it'd make sense…Who knows? In any case, I'm glad to see you recovered! I know the Goombas would be happy if you paid them a visit!" the Toad finished. Mario waved good-bye, but then the Toad thought of something else.

"I can't believe I forgot! The Goombas are also taking care of this strange elf looking man who they found in a bush right after they found you! He knew who he was and where he came from, but he completely forgot the last hour before he landed! Check that out too!"

Mario immediately knew it had to be Link and dashed outside.

Outside, it was a perfect day and…no sign of Link. Mario was a tad disappointed as he jogged to the gate. If Mario could find Link, he would have a better chance of saving Peach and getting back at Bowser. Beside the gate was a goomba, apparently busy with something.

"Howdy Mario! Feeling better?" he asked. "Feel free to rest in our house." Mario then told him he needed to go. "You have to leave right now? Oh, Shooting Star Summit! Something important, no doubt. Well I believe that the summit is near Toad Town. You'll have to wait a bit. I have to fix this gate before you can head out east. The earthquake the other day really did a job on it. Did you feel that quake? Shoot! I thought the sky was falling! Just relax and don't worry. I'll have this done in a jiffy!" Mario understood and trotted off.

. . .

There really wasn't anywhere to explore, and there wasn't any place to go, so Mario gave up and talked to a Goomba with a blue hat. Goombas weren't Mario's favorite things, but if they got tough, he could take care of them easily. The Goomba took one look at Mario and shrieked.

"Hey Mario! I'm Goombario! You're biggest fan! You don't know what this means to meet you! Seriously!"

Mario grunted. He wasn't much of a conversation starter. It bugged him knowing Link was there, but he couldn't find him. Therefore, Mario's instinct led him into the Goomba's house to have a look around. The house itself was decent, nice little wood things here and there. A very old Goomba was half-asleep while standing up; she was making a light noise. Mario ignored her because he heard something out in the back door. Opening it up, he found another elder goomba sitting out there.

"Hi!" Mario squeaked.

"Oh! You startled me! Hm, yes, Mario, isn't it? So you've awakened at last! Good! Knew you'd pull through! Call me Goompa. I'm the Goomba grandfather so…Goompa," He told Mario. "Do you mind giving me the details later? I'm very busy fixing the veranda." Mario was about to ask Goompa if he had seen Link, but he didn't want to be bothered! Frustrated, Mario stomped away. The moment he'd stepped into the front yard, Goombario waddled over to him.

"Oh! Mario…my dad was looking for you. He said to tell you he finished fixing the gate. "

Mario: That's great!

"So I guess you can travel to Toad Town and Shooting Star Summit now huh?"

Mario nodded, and Goombario backed up sadly. Excited, Mario rushed over to the gate; unsurprised at the fact that Goombaria and Goompapa were waiting.

"Hoo! What a job! Sorry to keep you waiting. The gate is finally fixed. If you take this road straight ahead, you'll eventually come to Toad Town, home of Princess Peach's Castle!" Goompapa stated. Mario was relieved he could leave. "I believe that Shooting Star Summit is just beyond there. It's too bad you can't stay…I feel like I just met you! But duty calls, I know."

"Good luck, Mario," Goombaria added.

Suddenly, a strange cackle echoed through the air. The three quickly turned to find Kammy Koopa hovering about on her broom. Mario snarled. He recalled that she was with Bowser when he kicked him out of the castle.

"Bleh heh heh heh heh heh….my instincts were right. Mario…I can't believe you're walking on your feet after taking such a beating from King Bowser. You're a hardy one, all right! I was smart to come here and check on you." Kammy snickered.

"What's that Daddy? What's that weird flying thing?" Goombaria asked innocently.

"Weird? Why you little…I am a beautiful Koopa with a beautiful name: Kammy Koopa! I wish I had time to teach you a lesson brat! But, no. Mario! Hear this! It is useless for you to save Princess Peach. Ridiculous! Laughable! As you have seen, King Bowser is more powerful than even you can deal with this time! Here's a gift from him!"

Kammy chuckled evilly while using her magic to create a yellow block to crush the newly fixed gate. Goompapa cried out in agony at his hard work being destroyed.

"Mario! You will kneel and weep when you see the wonderful changes that King Bowser has made! The worlds are ours now!"

Kammy laughed once more and putted away on her broom. Mario felt like he would never get out of there!

"I just fixed that gate…" Goompapa said quietly. "Nobody say gate to me…Kammy Koopa, that FIEND!"

Mario explained that Prince Peach had been kidnapped again, and that he needed to get to Shooting Star Summit to save her. Goombaria finally spoke up.

"Dad, we've just got to do something, right?" she wondered. "Mario's gotta save the princess! No one else can do it!"

"Here's an idea! Maybe we can break the block with Goompa's big hammer! I think he's using it right now to fix the veranda. Go ask him for it, will you?" Goompapa suggested. Mario nodded yet again, and returned to the house. Goomma was still inside, and Goompa was still out on the veranda. Mario entered the veranda door, and was finally able to talk to Goompa.

He stood on the veranda for a few moments…until he realized that there wasn't even a veranda under his feet. Mario didn't realize until the last moment, suddenly plummeting to the unknown parts of Goomba Village…


	3. The Missing Link

Paper Mario X

Chapter 2: The Missing Link

Mario fell down, but landed softly as if he was made of paper…When he stood up; he realized that the veranda was crashed behind him. Nevertheless, what happened to Goompa? Mario started to panic, though it was unnecessary because he was only a few feet away. At the sight of the hero, Goompa jumped.

"Oh…my back…Hm? Who's that? That you, Mario?" he mumbled. "I remember a great crashing noise and then the veranda fell. Did you fall too? Stepped right into thin air. Well, we're both okay, but we're both trapped here because that block is in the way."

Goompa walked over to the block and continued to explain that the block wasn't supposed to be here. Mario reminded him of his hammer, but the old Goomba replied that he lost it when he fell. Mario shook his head, and went on a search. He hunted down the tool in the current area; it was nowhere to be found. He continued down the path in the opposite direction. Goompa assured that the hammer was somewhere nearby. Mario located a little pocket change before finally uncovering the hammer in a bush.

"Oh! There we go! That's the hammer!" Goompa exclaimed. "I'll wager that if you use that hammer, you can break the block that's in our way!"

Mario then tried his new hammer out on the unsuspecting trees and the ground. When he was done pounding, the two headed for the block blocking the path. Goompa ran ahead, only to receive a "YOUCH!" The old goomba was smacked across the ground like a koopa shell that was just kicked. He squirmed around while Mario turned to the one that hurt him. He was shocked to find a huge, monstrous, tough, towering…baby. It seemed to be a little baby Koopa still partly in its egg.

"Who are you guys? This is my playground, idiots!" he cried. "Nobody sets foot in here without my permission! Nobody! Prepare to start crying at the feet of Master Jr. Troopa!" Mario glared at him.

"Yeah, I'm going to give you the same beating that weird elf got. He just wandered in here, and I set the block down to prevent anyone else from coming. Don't know how you two got in here though…" Jr. explained. Mario heard the word "elf" and instantly asked where he went. "Eh? I don't know where that loser went. I gave him a good one; he bonked me with a sword, and ran off! What the-quit stallin' punk! C'MERE!"

Mario decided to give his hammer a test run. It was wooden, but still nice and sturdy. He pulled it out and brought it down hard onto Junior's skull. Jr. cringed, until it was his turn. He jumped on Mario, and the fight continued like that, seeming neither would give up. Goompa was in the background cheering Mario on, much to the annoyance of Jr. Eventually, he was so fed up, and he cried "FULL POWER!" and landed another blow on Mario. One more hit and he was good as gone. Luckily for Mario, Jr. needed one hit too, and it was Mario's turn. He finished it off classically, jumping on the child's head, making him fall face first.

"Shoot! I was winning! I'll be back, Mario!" Jr. whined before running off. "I mean it, I'll be back!" Once the shrimp was finally gone, a bush started to shake. Mario turned, and Link crawled out of the leafy nightmare.

"Good gravy! It's Elfonzo!" Goompa gasped.

"What the- NO! I told you, I'm LINK!" the green clothed hero grumbled. He turned his attention away from the Goomba and onto Mario. "Hey…I feel like I know you…don't know how, I've never met you!" Mario's jaw dropped.

"I'm glad you took care of that brat though. He thinks he's so tough…amateur…so, what's your name?" Link wondered. Mario, still awestruck, told him, and Link nodded.

"Okay Mario! You're all right. I'm going to hang with you for a while. Maybe I'll find out why you seem so familiar…" decided Link. He tagged along with a dazed Mario and a grouchy Goompa.

_Link: HP 15  
FP 5 (other world characters have their own FP)  
Moves:  
Sword Slash (2 damage)  
Jab (2 FP, 3 damage)  
Special Ability: Twice as strong as everybody else_

They went to the site where Jr. placed the block, and Mario smashed it with one swing. Goompa cried out in joy while Link couldn't contain his grin. The trio continued down the path, and Goompa spotted some bad goombas. He continued to explain how they would attack without hesitation, and Link brandished his sword. Mario also situated himself in case of an attack.

The goombas were not hard at all. They took two hits and were road kill. Goompa slightly flinched at how the goombas simply fell over, but was glad they were gone. Link would slice his sword into one, and they would die easily. After maneuvering themselves down the path and defeating goombas, they safely made it back.

"All that trouble over a hammer…" Mario muttered to himself while Goompa told his family he was all right.

"Goompa! Where have you been? I looked outside and…wow! You and the veranda were just plain gone! Oh! You found Elfonzo too!" Goombario exclaimed.

"My name is LINK!" Link cried.

"Goompa, I was worried. Very, very, very, worried," Goombaria stated.

"Sorry kids, I apologize. I didn't mean to make you fret. You just take it easy now. I'm back safe and sound," Goompa soothed. They trotted to the front of the house. "Now! Mario…Before I forget, I have something for you. Wait here a minute…" Link softly moaned, Goompa glaring over his shoulder. Mario nudged him and Goombario turned to talk.

"You always seem to beat up your enemies…do you work out?" Goombario asked.

"What kind of a question is that?" Link retorted. Once again, Goombario neglected what he had to say.

"I study self-defense by reading books and listening to Dad and Goompa. I also exercise everyday so I can be strong like you! It's starting to show too! See, I'm getting big muscles!" Goombario tried to flex, but realized he didn't have an arm. He shrugged, but how does he do _that?_

"Yeah! Goombario's head is as hard as a rock! Tee hee!" Goombaria added. "When he does his headbonk move, it really hurts!"

"Not as much as the end of my sword!" Link bragged, pointing the end in the sky. Goombaria jumped.

"Oh be quiet Goombaria! You're embarrassing me! Of course…it IS true…" Goombario stated.

Finally, Goompa came back out. He apologized for taking so long.

"That's okay Goompa! We're just rapping with Mario and Elfonzo…" Goombario explained.

"L-I-N-K."

"Oh. "Rapping" huh? I just wanted to give this to Mario…" Goompa said. He walked over to Mario and handed him the Power Jump Badge. As Goompa babbled on about how to use them properly, Link slunk away to go buy some equipment. Once he returned three minutes later (the store wouldn't take rupees), Goompa was saying that he heard from Gooma…

"…You're taking it upon yourself to save the princess from Bowser's clutches."

"Oh yeah! Mario can beat Bowser with one hand behind his back!" Goombario piped.

"Hush now Goombario. Mario, please take this hammer…," continued Goompa. Goombario sulked while Link snickered. "It should serve you well. If I were a bit younger, I'd accompany you. I'd have done some damage! The years are staring to catch up with me. I hate to admit this, but I have lower back pain."

"Adventure…you guys are so lucky!" Goombario sighed. Mario shook his head while Link smiled smugly.

"Princess-rescuing is so cool! I really want to be an adventurer too, someday…"

Oh! Here's an idea…Goombario…You are no longer a child, and evil times have come upon us…I'm sure Mario will agree…you should accompany him," Suggested Goompa.

"WHAT!" Goombario and Link cried. "Really? May I go Goompa? May I really go? YES! OH YEAH!"

Link grabbed Mario's shoulder. "Please Mario…you still have a chance! Say no!" he pleaded. Mario gave an apologetic look as he nodded to the goomba kid. Goombario jumped in Link's face and shouted "HA!" It was all Link could do to prevent himself from making a mushroom salad.

"Mario! You won't regret this!" Goombario assured.

"I already have…" Link mumbled.

Once all the good-byes were said, Mario, Goombario, and Link went to the Toad House to replenish their health. Link was now extra grumpy that they had to drag Mr. Mushroom everywhere. This was going to be a very long trip.


	4. I'm Craving Mushrooms!

Paper Mario X

Chapter 3: I'm Craving Mushrooms!

The entire gang was rested, and was ready to head on east. Mario gripped his hammer and bashed the block in the way of the pathway, no longer cutting them off from the outside world.

"Yeah! Way to go Mario!" Goombario cheered, and then told his dad he was sorry about the gate. His dad went ballistic at the word gate, and the three quickly sprinted off. As soon as they set foot on the main route, Link read a sign that said "Beware of Goombas".

"HA! Too late for that…" he grumbled. Goombario scowled at him, and Mario noticed that the picture of the Goomba was peeling off. It came to life and Mario jumped on it ASAP. Link followed with a simple stomp and it was gone.

"Hey! I wanted to help!" Goombario whined.

"Got to be faster, Rookie!" Link mocked. Mario just rolled his eyes.

Down the road were many more Goombas, but the trio managed to best them all. Mario would get the first strike, then Link and Goombario would compete to see who got the last shot. Working their way down, Mario read a sign about Shrooms. The picture of the mushroom popped out and Link seized it.

"So, in this world, Mushrooms are used to replenish your health?" Link asked, to which Mario nodded.

"Yeah, that's a pretty basic fact," Goombario said intelligently. "Although it doesn't surprise me that you wouldn't know something like that-"

"Hey, I'm not from here," Link retorted instantly. "Back in my world, we use potions or something like soup to replenish our health…"

"So you're an alien?" Goombario questioned. "That _really_ doesn't surprise me."

The occasional spout of bickered continued to pop up between Link and Goombario, and it continued so often that they didn't even notice Mario plow through the hordes of Goombas that roamed the path. It wasn't until someone started shouting at them did all three of them snap back to attention.

"Hey! Hey! Hold it right there! Yeah you! Suspicious guy! Don't move!" the voice called. A Blue Goomba and a Red Goomba ran out to the gang from a ledge above them. They didn't look happy.

"Aha, you're Mario! I knew it. You can't go past here Mr. Big Shot!" the red one stated. "It's a direct order from the Goomba King! I'm sorry, but the only way through is through the Goomba Bros.! That's me, Red Goomba, and my brother, Blue Goomba."

Link prepared his sword as Mario held his hammer above his head. Goombario tried to look tough against his own species…but that didn't really work out too well.

"Let's get him, Blue Goomba!"

"Oh yeah! Let's do it, my red brother!"

The brothers leaped in front of the group of three, asking for a fight. Mario started with a power Jump that took three damage out of Blue. Link followed that with a sword swipe of two points. Goombario smirked to himself, whipped out a book, and...tattled on them.

"Come on kid! You got to fight!" Link groaned.

"It doesn't hurt to know about your enemy…" defended Goombario. "Sometimes knowledge is the best weapon there is!"

"Sure, sure…"

"Anyway," Goombario continued, reading from his log. "The Red one is the older one, and is the stronger of the two. Red Goomba has 7 HP while Blue Goomba has 6. Both have an attack of one, and a defense of zero."

"Mario! How'd you like some of this?" Blue Goomba barked afterwards, bonking Mario on the head. Red Goomba snickered and performed the same move as his brother, both of them doing a total of two damage to Mario.

"Weak!" dissed Link.

They would have let him have it, but their turn was over. Blue Goomba needed one more hit, while Red was still at full power. Mario jumped on Blue Goomba and that was the end of that menace.

"Blue Goomba!" Red Goomba wailed, bursting into tears at the sight of his fainted sibling. "My little brother! You'll pay for that Mario!"

"Oh calm down," huffed Link, charging up his sword and jabbing at Red for three damage. Goombario tried to impress Link with a Headbonk, only to have him scoff when it only did one.

Meanwhile, Red Goomba was breathing deeply. He had only three HP left. The Goomba tried to put more effort into his last hit, though no change happened. Mario grinned smugly before giving him a good hammer whack, doing one, and Link chortled as he sliced the final bit out of Red. Goombario murmured when he didn't get a last hit.

"Maybe next time, Rookie!" taunted Link, stylishly twirling his sword around before sheathing it.

"Why are you twice as strong as Mario and I, Elfward?" wondered Goombario.

"It'sjust the way I am. I was pretty skilled back in my world…" before Link could explain, he realized what Goombario called him and chased him around. Mario just looked on while the two Goomba Bros. ran away crying.

"I'll…I'll let you go for now!" shouted Red Goomba before they left. Mario knew that they were probably headed back to their king, and it might've been a good idea to follow them. Thus, the plumber slammed his hammer into the ground, making his other two teammates follow him down the rest of the path. They launched upwards via spring, and carried on.

. . .

Just past their last battle, there was another sign with a mushroom. Goombario rushed over to get it before Link, only to find out it was a deranged Goomba!

"Ack! What in the world? !" he yelped, running away from it instantly. It charged after Goombario, who kept shrieking until Link got rid of it himself.

"You need some work…" Link sighed.

"I'm at a loss for words…" muttered Goombario. Mario just shook his head. Frustrated, Goombario ran ahead to read sign with a picture of nothing on it, and read:

"Goomba King's Fortress Ahead!"

"Wow, you can read!" Link exclaimed. Mario gave him a warning look and Link backed off.

"If there's a fortress ahead, we'd better be cautious…" Goombario nearly whispered.

"Well…this is one time I actually agree with you," noted Link.

Mario: Much better!

Mario smiled as he led them down the rest of the path. They didn't take more than two steps when the medium sized stone building came into view. Worse, it was smack dab in the middle of the road. The gang stayed back when Blue and Red suddenly ran up to the door.

"If Sonic were here, he'd be like 'they're too slow!'" Link mumbled. "I mean seriously- they're just_ now_ getting there?"

"Be quiet! Quit talking about this "Sonic" dude!" Goombario snapped. Link muttered something under his breath as they continued to spy on the Goombas.

"King Goomba! Help us!" the brothers cried. "Mario beat us up!" The doors to the fort opened and the two mushrooms sped inside. Mario motioned to head over there. They snuck up to the front door and looked at the tower.

"Hey, look, Mario! See that building over there?" Goombario asked. "I'm sure there used to be a bridge on the other side of it. I wonder what happened to it…"

"Either way, we probably should stop this King Goomba, whoever he is…" Link suggested.

The ground then started to shake, making leaves fall off a nearby tree. King Goomba and his cronies popped up on the top. King Goomba stared at the three heroes with his googly eyes and cackled.

"So, Mario, it's true! You've made it this far. I respect you for that." The King babbled. "Unfortunately, this is as far as you'll ever get because I, the great and powerful King Goomba, will see to it that you will advance no father!"

"You heard that Mario? No farther! Not one little step! Are you scared little man?" Red Goomba teased.

"Bah ha ha! Yeah, you're scared all right! You wanna say you're sorry?" Blue Goomba cackled.

Goombario shivered. "Wow that King Goomba is…really huge."

"No really?" Link snorted with sarcasm while Mario agreed with his Goomba friend.

"I'm sure he's no match for you Mario! Come on, let's get him!"

"Whatever, I need the sword practice!" sighed Link, swishing around his sword.

"Ready to meet my wrath, Mario? You'd better be!" roared the Goomba King. The goomba gang leaped down, causing another rumble. Mario and co. to fighting stances. Goombario made a strategy to take out the Goomba bros. first while the mushroom bunch was gloating.

"Okay, while you two work on them, I'll focus on making a king sized mushroom melt!" Link snickered. "Get it?"

"Yes." Goombario grunted. "Just remember to fight and don't quit your day job!"

"I am so going to pretend King Goomba is you, ya little FUNGUS!"

"Take that back!"

Mario slamming his hammer on the tree in the background was enough to get them to stop fighting. A fruit or something toppled out of the tree, bonked King on his head for three damage, and wiped out the two Goomba siblings in one hit.

"Cool! They were still weak from the last battle!" Goombario added to his observations.

"Now we can all stuff some mushroom!" Link chuckled. Mario and Goombario exchanged glances while Link, still giggling at his joke, performed a jab into the king of the goombas. His HP shot down to four.

"Since they're weakened from the last battle, Red and Blue Goomba have three and two HP each, respectively," Goombario continued. "As for the Goomba King, he looks really powerful. Max HP: 10, Attack Power: 1, Defense Power: 0 He's the boss of Red Goomba and Blue Goomba. Who cares if he's strong? You're much stronger. Gee, I wonder what he ate to become so big? I'd like to be a bit bigger, too."

The king roared in rage, jumping into the air and causing more nut things to crash on the party. Everyone lost two HP.

"I love being the best!" Link gushed as Mario jumped on King.

"You're not the best! Mario is!" Goombario growled. Link ignored him as he did a sword slash. Mario told Goombario to deal the last strike, and Goombario did with pride.

"W-what? How could I lose?" King Goomba asked the world afterward, ironically falling to the hands of defeat of one of his own species. He and his minions stormed back inside the fort angrily.

"Yeah! I knew we could do it! Cool! Victory!" Goombario cheered.

"Calm down. We couldn't have done it without me!" Link indicated.

Mario thumbed up. They all realized that the fort was still on the road to Toad Town, and needed to find a way to get by. Mario pressed his ear against the door to listen to what King Goomba was saying. Link and Goombario followed his lead.

"Red Goomba…you're positive you hid the switch well, right?" They heard the king whisper.

"Of course King Goomba!" Red Goomba replied in a hushed tone. "I hid it in the grass outside the fortress…"

"Outside the…You idiot! You didn't hide it in there! Mario will find it in there for sure!" King grumbled a little louder.

"Oh…do you think? You know…you might be right…" Red Goomba admitted. Link mumbled that Red Goomba was dumber than Goombario. Thank goodness, Goombario didn't hear.

"King Goomba?" Blue Goomba began. "May we try to trick Mario before he tries to…"

Mario pulled his head from the door, quickly snagged the switch out of the tall patch of grass, and Link hopped on it. He wasn't used to activating switches this way so he ended up tripping when he bounced right back off. Must have been karma from the Goombario remark…As it was pressed, Mario helped Link up with Goombario laughing, and King Goomba appeared.

"Uh…Mario! Good fight and all that! I must warn you, however…" the royal doofus called. "If you happen to find a strange switch somewhere, you should definitely not press it. It's dangerous. Understand?"

Link snickered, Goombario coughed, and Mario turned his head.

"…you what! You already pressed it! ?" The fort rumbled as King shouted, "OH NO!"

He sank dramatically back down, the fortress following suit. The top twisted off, nearly hitting Mario and rolling off the edge of the cliff. Two windows peeled off. The tower was stripped, revealing King Goomba dancing on top for his life. The platform he was standing on sprung up, transforming into a bridge. King Goomba spiraled into the far away sky, disappearing in a little spark. Red and Blue Goomba were mysteriously gone. Goombario began to jump up and down.

"Look! The bridge! Now we can cross and continue our journey! All right!" he cheered.

"FINALLY! Before we go, I'm going to eat my Shroom. I'm starving!" Link groaned while gripping his stomach.

"Shouldn't you save it?"

"That battle left me hungry, and now I'm craving mushrooms! Either way, we can always buy more in Toad Town!"

Link ripped a corner of the mushroom with his teeth, then grinded up the rest of it, leaving Goombario disturbed. Link licked his fingers.

"Hey! That's better than a potion! We are definitely getting more of those!"

Cautiously crossing the bridge, Mario, Link, and Goombario headed off to Shooting Star Summit with nothing standing in their way. Link attempted to push Goombario off the edge by "accident" but Mario caught him at the last moment.

Little did they know that Kammy Koopa was keeping a close eye on them…


	5. The Peak of my Patience

Paper Mario X

Chapter 4: The Peak of My Patience, the Summit of Sanity

Kammy hovered all the way back to Bowser's sky castle, eager to give her report. She entered Peach's part of the castle with semi-grace.

"Mighty King Bowser…I've been looking for you!" she cackled. "A report Your Evilness: Mario defeated the Goomba King. He's also found the one called "Link". They're headed to Toad Town now."

Bowser appeared with Kammy inching toward him. "What? Unbelievable! What was that Goomba king thinking? I used the Star Rod to make him a king because he begged me…and Mario whips him so easily? What a wimp!"

Kammy gave Bowser a strange look. Bowser caught her gaze andquickly asked "Uh…Kammy Koopa! You ARE sure Mario can never defeat us, right?"

"Please, please, your Vileness. Try to be calm. King Goomba is small time. I had a feeling he'd fail. It doesn't matter because while you hold the Star Rod you are definitely invincible. You could beat Mario with one claw tied behind your back!" Kammy assured.

"Yes, yes! Very good! Grah ha ha ha ha! By the way Kammy, those Star Spirits have no way of sending Mario their power, do they?" Bowser wondered.

"Please. Don't worry yourself. Each is held separately and your handpicked subjects are handling each carefully. Even_ Mario _can't save all seven of the spirits."

"Hmmm…who's the closest Star Spirit to Mario? It's the one at Koopa Bros. Fortress right? If Mario somehow reaches there, can they defeat him?"

"King Bowser…you mustn't worry…" a voice called that wasn't Kammy's. "HI-YAA!" Four Koopas popped out of nowhere and bowed to Bowser. They stood up and gave a sparkly thumb up.

"Here come the Koopa Bros.! Uh- Huh! Oh Yeah! We're the coolest of cool!" they chanted.

Bowser: …

"…Psst! Kammy Koopa! Are you sure these guys can get the job done?" Bowser asked is a hushed whisper. "That Goomba King was gigantic, and even he couldn't beat Mario."

The Red leader stepped forward. "Psssaw! Get real, King Bowser! Yeah, the Goomba King was huge, but he was a total wimpola! We're nothing like him! See, what we've got going is the power of teamwork…Together we can put the hurt on Mario in seconds flat!" he explained.

"Excellent! That's the spirit! Sell it, Koopa Bros.! Show out King that special attack you do so well!" Kammy requested.

"Yes Ma'am. Ready everybody? " Red asked his bros. They all said yes, and as Bowser looked on, the four began to suddenly glow.

"Ohh…OHH! That…This is….ohh!" Bowser gaped.

"How'd you like it? King Bowser? How was it?" they asked.

"Oh yeah! Excellent! Really! I'm not easily impressed either! Mario won't have a _chance_ if you use that attack!" Bowser exclaimed.

"We'll take him, King Bowser!"

"By the way, my Koopa Bros…" Bowser began. "About the Star Spirit I've locked up in your fortress…Who's guarding him right now?"

"…Uh…nobody sir…You know, we're _here,_ so-"

"YOU IDIOTS! Use your heads! Get back to the fortress and guard that Star Spirit!" Bowser roared. The Koopas were gone in such a flash that it was surprising that they left no flames in their wake. Bowser then turned to Kammy.

"Kammy…who is watching Princess Peach and the girls I kidnapped from some of the other worlds?"

"Your very trusted guards Your Greatness."

"Very good. Probably more responsible than those Koopa Bros…"

Mario, Link, and Goombario made it to the other side of the bridge moments later. A hunger satisfied Link marched down the steps, followed by a slower Mario and Goomba kid.

"I hope they have energy drinks at Toad Town…" Link prayed silently. While he was praying, Mario discovered a spring in a tree, knocked it down, sprung on it, and found a chest with a hammer throw badge in it. He grabbed it, equipped it, and joined his friends at the Toad Town entrance.

"I'll finally be able to see what this looks like!" Link positively said.

"I've always been curious too…" added Goombario.

Mario smiled and led the way. He was never so eager to see Toad Town again, with its variety of shops, pink roads, and bustling citizens. Speaking of bustling citizens, a Toad ran over to the group in a state of panic that was normal for Toads to be in.

"Mario! I'm so glad you're okay! The town is in an uproar! The princess kidnapped! The very castle uprooted! It's beldam! I really don't know what we can do about all this…Please Mario! Save Her Highness!" the Toad babbled. Mario simply nodded as he walked away.

"Hey, where're you going?" Link asked, watching as Mario walked over to a pipe.

Mario: Going home.

"Eh…through a pipe?"

"It's a main method of transportation around here," Goombario interrupted boldly.

"Sheesh, there's a nice way to tell people things," huffed the swordsman as he and Goombario followed Mario down the pipe.

. . .

Back at the Mario household was a man garbed in green, sitting on the steps and whistling a tune to himself. He had been alone in the house for a few days, with nothing to do but write in his diary- er, uh, nothing to do but just lounge around. Yeah…

"I wonder what my brother is up to…" Luigi asked himself, once he stopped whistling. He heard someone pop out of the pipe, and was surprised to find it was none other than Mario.

"Whoa! Mario! It's you! Good to see you!" Luigi yelped, springing from the stairs and running to his bro. The brothers walked toward each other, oblivious to Link and Goombario.

"You're all right! After all that castle craziness, I was really worried about you! I ran outside just as the earthquake started, so I managed to escape in time." Luigi then glanced and saw Goombario and Link.

"About time you noticed us!" Link muttered.

"Oh? Who are you?" Luigi asked carefully.

"The name's Link-" Link began, but was interrupted by Goombario.

"I'm Goombario. Nice to meet you! The dude behind me is Johnelfan, not much of a person,"

"_Huh? !"_

"I see. Great. Just great. You're on an exciting adventure with Mario. Talk about unfair. See, someone has to look after this house, so I can't leave. Oh well. Take care of Mario, okay?" Luigi replied.

"Of course! I'll protect him from people who can't remember _other_ people's names!" Link promised, making Goombario uneasy. Mario promised that they'd be back soon to check in, and that Peach would be saved in no time.

"I know, Mario," Luigi said with a smile, using a tone more positive than previously. "You're super like that!"

Mario returned the grin as he and his team descended down the pipe.

. . .

Back in Toad Town, the gang was itching to get back on their adventure. They explored the town a bit before entering the town shop. Link looked proud when they met up with the owner.

"Oh! They have mushrooms!" Link cheered, rushing over quickly to buy some.

"So? There are better things than mushrooms…" Goombario scoffed.

"…really?"

"Yep. My favorites are Super Shrooms, but I never did get to try an Ultra Shroom before…and that's plain! I heard if you dip an Ultra Shroom in Jammin' Jelly, it'd be the greatest thing you've ever experienced…forget your basic, nasty potions, pal! _Those _are what it's _all_ about…"

Link's mouth began to water as Mario told Goombario that he went a _little _too far.

"Heh, sorry Mario," Goombario replied, but it was clear that he sort of wasn't.

Mario bought a few mushrooms, a Fire Flower, and some Honey Syrup. Link held onto them -to Goombario's horror- and left. At least they had some gear now. They headed east, when they were stopped by an olive green Toad.

"Hey Mario! Word is you're needed on Shooting Star Summit. You never been? Just go through that blue gate there and bear right at Peach's Castle…oops! I forgot…Peach's Castle is…gone…"

Mario also remembered this but was distracted by Link's rant on how close Shooting Star Summit was to the castle. Nevertheless, the red plumber led the gang to the blue Star Gate and had Goombario push it open. On the other side was a_ horrible_ looking place where the castle once stood. Mounds of the ground were sticking up, and only one Toad was there. Link thought he remembered something about that place, yet he couldn't quite place it. It did trigger something else though…

"I hope the same thing didn't happen to Hyrule Castle," he told himself. "Gee, that makes me wonder…how did I get here? One moment I'm in Hyrule, I got an invitation to somewhere, and then I was lost in that Goomba Village…"

"Where my family _graciously_ took care of you!" Goombario put in.

The trio trudged along the wrecked bridge that led to the summit. When they first arrived, there was beautiful purple grass growing in the entryway. Another passage went over a gap where shooting stars were falling. They all gasped in awe at the sight as more and more fell while they got closer, the sky darkening with every step. During the trek up the heavenly mountain, Goombario was annoying Link past the limit, asking him obvious questions and scrambling around his feet. The Hylian could have probably withstood it, if it wasn't for one word:

"Elf."

Link whirled around to look Goombario diagonally in the eye.

"Listen kid. I am not an elf. I do not like you. You have put me past the peak of my patience, and are about to shove me off the edge of sanity!"

"Sorry, Pointy One…"

"THAT'S IT!" Link pulled out his sword so fast Mario was surprised that it wasn't on fire. If it weren't for the climb, Goombario wouldn't have been able to escape range of Link's sword.

"IF ONLY I HAD MY BOOMERANG!" he wailed, trying to swing at the Goomba. Suddenly, Link stopped, only because Goombario had stopped in the presence of Eldstar, one of the Star Spirits. Mario finally caught up with them later, wheezing all the way. He gave a quick glare to Link before turning his attention to Eldstar. It was no doubt it was the same star he had seen.

"Welcome Mario….we've been waiting for you," Eldstar began. He moved away from the party, only to have six other stars surround them.

"We're the Seven Star Spirits. Our job is to grant wishes of good people from our home in Star Haven, a place high beyond the sky. We're going to tell you something incredibly important. Please listen carefully. The other day, Bowser and his followers invaded our peaceful Star Haven. They stole our prized treasure, the Star Rod, which we've carried since the beginning of time," Eldstar explained.

"The Star Rod…is powerful beyond belief…it can grant any wish. For as long as we can remember, Bowser has been making wishes like, for instance… "I'd like to trounce Mario" or "I want Princess Peach to like me." Of course, Stars ignore such selfish wishes. As a result, his wishes were never granted," Mamar added.

"Bowser…that fiend…When he found out that we were ignoring his wishes, he came and stole the Star Rod so he could grant his own wishes. He seems so content right now, mainly because he defeated you and captured the princess. Soon enough, though, I fear he will wish for more…and then terrible things will happen," Skolar pointed out.

"It is the responsibility of the seven Star Spirits to keep the Star Rod safe and use it properly. We must get the Star Rod back from Bowser and return it to its rightful place! In order to do this, Mario, we need your help!" Muskular cried.

"Sadly…right now you are not strong enough to challenge Bowser…he has made himself all-powerful by making wishes with the Star Rod. He is terrible to behold!" Misstar sighed.

"Once we seven Star Spirits are reunited in Star Haven, we can give you the power to fight Bowser even with his newfound strength. With our help, you'll prevail!" Klevar assured.

"Mario…we are…Alas. We've nearly exhausted our power to talk to you. Although it looks like we are there next to you, it is only an illusion. We're using all out strength to communicate with you over a great distance. But even now, our strength is fading…We've been caught and are being held by Bowser's followers in different places throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Please Mario; first of all, you need to rescue us!" Kalmar moaned.

Mario looked around to see Link sleeping and using Goombario as a pillow. He was getting tired too, but forced himself to hear the rest of the speech. Eldstar noticed this and tried to make the ending brief.

"In order to take the Star Rod back from Bowser…and save Princess Peach and the other girls…we need your help…Please Mario…you are our last hope…and we will…" Eldstar was cut off as the last of their power was drained. They all disappeared one by one until Mario, Link, and Goombario were all alone.

Link yawned and stood up. Goombario stretched out his back before saying, "Mario…it looks like things are more serious than I thought…Do you think the princess is going to be all right? I'm really worried about her. And what were they saying about "the other girls"?"

"Maybe Bowser took some girls from other worlds too!" Link guessed. Then a light bulb went off in his head. "What if he has Zelda?"

"Then we'd really better get going…" Goombario said with caution.

Link couldn't agree more, and apparently, Mario couldn't either.


	6. How Peach Met Twink, Zelda, and Amy Rose

Paper Mario X

Chapter 5: How Peach Met Twink, Zelda, and Amy Rose

Way up in the castle in the sky, a sad and lonely Princess Peach was trappedin her own kingdom, in her own castle, in her own room. She was currently in the middle of lightly sniffling, standing in the middle of the room, feeling helpless as always. All she could do was wait for Mario to come save her…but he fell from the window, and Peach wasn't too confident that Mario had recovered from the fall in one piece…

"Mario's probably hurt…" Peach moaned softly as she began to pace. "Everyone's in prison…The Mushroom Kingdom will be destroyed if things continue the way they're going. Something must be done…If only somebody could help me…"

She heard something and quickly snapped out of her thoughts, turning to the door. Bowser stomped into the room. There were some muffled voices from outside the door, but Bowser was blocking Peach's sight. Kammy Koopa followed in behind the Koopa King.

"Gwaaa Ha ha ha ha! My dear Princess Peach, how are you doing this fine day?" Bowser started casually.

"It's no use waiting for Mario this time, my dear! We're so high above the sky right now, even Mario doesn't stand a chance of reaching us up here!" Kammy cackled.

"You know, Princess, as long as I have this Star Rod, no one in the Mushroom Kingdom, or any place, can touch me. You know the power that grants everyone's wishes? It's mine! Isn't that just wonderful?" asked Bowser.

"Nyeah hee hee hee! Imagine what it's like down in your kingdom! Your subjects must be so upset because their wishes aren't being granted. Oh, how delightful! They deserve it for the way they've treated us Koopas over the years!" Kammy added viciously.

"If you, you know, want anything, all you need to do is ask me, Princess. I can grant wishes. Of course, I'll only grant requests that I like…Anyway, think about it. You take care, Princess Peach. Enjoy your stay here… with your new friends!" Bowser told her.

"You'd better watch yourself, Princess. Don't cause any trouble," Kammy added with a warning.

The two villains left the room, leaving Peach alone for the moment. However, not for long, because two other girls were tossed into the room. One was a tall one with an elegant gown. She looked like she could be a princess too. The other was a pink hedgehog with a red dress, a red headband, and red boots. Peach just blinked as they stood up and brushed themselves off.

"Hmph! This is the last time I follow Link to a worldwide party!" huffed the regal-looking female, fixing up her hair. "I end up kidnapped!"

"But it was fun until we got kidnapped," the hedgehog pointed out.

"Well it's not fun now, huh?"

"Uh, hello?" Peach said in a question.

"Hrmmm…Are you Princess Peach?" the princess girl asked.

"Y-yes…"

"I'm Princess Zelda. It's a pleasure to meet you, but...how come you are just standing here?"

Peach was taken aback. "Eh? I just met you and…"

Zelda ignored Peach and continued. "Even if I'm captured, I try to do what I can…"

"I have Mario do that for me…"

"Oh!" Zelda smirked. "I see you have a knight that does all the work! Well, Link tries really hard, and the least I can do is gather a little info for him…"

"Mario's not a knight…he's a plumber…" Peach explained, a bit embarrassed. Zelda started to snicker, holding it in until she excused herself from the room. "But I just got here and I don't have any idea if Mario's all right or not!"

The hedgehog saw Peach's face fall and decided to speak up.

"Don't mind her, Peach. I'm Amy Rose, but just call me Amy…," she said. Peach shook her outstretched hand to ask what world she came from.

"Mobius. My hero Sonic saves the day, but I haven't seen him since we came to this party," Amy recalled. Peach's jaw dropped.

"Oh no! If something bad happened to Sonic, then maybe something happen to Mario…or Link!" she exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Zelda wondered, instantly returning from the other room at the sound of Link.

"They were all at the party, and when Mario was knocked out of the castle after the battle against Bowser, Link, Sonic, Kirby, and Samus tried to stop him. I didn't see what happened afterward. I was mourning over the loss of Mario…" Peach sobbed, suddenly filled with guilt. Zelda was flabbergasted.

"What kind of a princess _are_ you?" Zelda shouted. "Too busy worrying over her own emotions instead of doing what's best for others! Now we, Link, Sonic, and Mario are probably doomed!"

That made Peach cry even harder and Amy bent down to give her a hug.

"Zelda! She was under pressure-"

"I've probably been under more pressure than all her kidnapped attempts combined! Apparently she just sits and wait for_ Mario _to come and get her! Now because of her, we don't know what happened to Link…or Sonic! Who knows what Bowser could have done to them with that Star Rod!" cried Zelda. At the sound of Sonic, Amy slowly let go of Peach.

Peach could only mutter, "I'm sorry" with her face buried in her hands.

"Hmph," Zelda scoffed again. "C'mon Amy, let's go figure out how we're going to get out of here or how we can find out what happened to Link and Sonic…"

"I suppose that's the best course of action..." Amy agreed slowly, following Zelda into the other room away from Peach. Meanwhile, Peach stood back up, face still streaked with tears.

"Oh…Please…if only someone could help me…" she prayed though sobs. "I've already got the only company I have mad at me...this has to be the wrost thing to happen to me yet…"

She walked over and sat on her bed, feeling awfully sorry for herself. She overhead Zelda and Amy talking about their heroes, with Peach's name occasionally coming up in the conversation. She frowned- it only took a few minutes to chase off her fellow captives.

"I certainly wasn't going to lie about what happened though," she whispered to herself. "But maybe Zelda's right- I must be a terrible princess if I just si here and wait… but what else can I do? Oh, I wish someone would just help me!"

After the princess' most recent plea, there was a knocking at the window, and Peach instantly turned her head. She stood up and trotted to the window. Zelda and Amy heard the knocking too, and peaked around the corner. Peach opened the window to let in a little star child

"Hello Princess Peach! Pleased to meet you! My name is Twink," the star giggled, not wasting any time.

"But you're…you're a Star Kid! How'd you get here?" Peach wondered.

"I came from Star Haven to grant your wish! It's our job to grant wishes, you know."

Peach walked closer to Twink with a smile. "Oh! You came because I wished somebody could help me?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Oh, that's just great!" Peach sighed in relief. "Thank you so much for coming! Here's my wish: Go right now and take that Star Rod back from Bowser OK? Think you can do it?"

Twink's smile melted into a frown.

"…Uh…sorry…that's a little much for a novice star like me…Maybe one of the honorable Star Sprits of Star Haven could grant a wish like that. I'm so sorry. Please, ask for something easy, something a small star like me could do…" Twink sighed.

"Then…can you take me away from here? Everyone in my castle has been captured and I need to save them as soon as possible! If I do, then maybe I'll be somewhat useful…"

"…oh…I'm sorry…I can't grant that wish either, I'm afraid. Actually, I just got called up to the sky a few days ago, so I can't do big wishes yet…If I were a more splendid star, maybe I could actually help…"

Peach felt a little sympathy, if not empathy, for the star and told him not to be sad.

"Mario will definitely do something to save us all. He's probably coming right now…with Link…and Sonic…and the rest of them…" Peach assured. Then, she hatched an idea. "OH! Twink! Do you think you could find Mario for me? I want you to give this to him."

She held out a pendent shaped like a star. Twink's frown finally turned upside down.

"This is the Lucky Star isn't it?" Twink asked with a wink. "Okay! I'll do it! I'll fly to the Mushroom Kingdom just as quick as I can!" Before he flew out the window, Peach had one more thing to say.

"Can you also…please tell Mario that…I'm fine and he shouldn't worry? If any of Zelda and Amy's friends are there too…could you tell them they're with me, but they're all right too…even if they are mad at me, I'd still like for their friends to know they're safe...Ok? Can you tell them that?" Peach asked. Zelda and Amy gasped from behind the wall. They looked at each other with shame.

"I'll tell them your exact words, Peach," Twink promised, heading for the window. "I'm really happy to be helping a nice girl like you."

Peach simply beamed at the compliment. When he was gone, Zelda and Amy sadly came back out.

"…Sorry Peach," Zelda began instantly, despite sounding a bit hesitant. "I guess I was just mad about being captured and I took it all out on you…"

"Yeah, me too. I shouldn't have let Zelda take control of me then," Amy added, Zelda giving her an unnoticed look.

Peach smiled. "It's all right! I know how strange it is being in weird places, kidnapped and alone. It happens to me every week! Come on, group hug?"

They all laughed and meshed into a happy comfort. Zelda pulled her head out.

"Peach…you might be right about Link and Sonic being with Mario…after all, they are pretty skilled heroes," she said.

"Kirby and Samus might be too!" Amy pointed out.

"Either way, we still need to do what we can to help them!" Peach exclaimed. "Who's with me?"

Peach put her gloved hand in the middle for Zelda and Amy to place theirs on. Peach then sighed and walked out on the balcony, which made the other girls follow. "Oh Mario…where are you…" she whispered.

"I hope you're okay, Sonic…" Amy stated softly.

"Link…you'll be fine. You've been through worse…" Zelda quietly murmured. They all looked over the edge, praying everyone would be all right.

Mario, Link, and Goombario were just reaching the bottom of the summit. The stars stopped falling, the sky returned to normal, and they had a world or two to save. Mario was almost back to the site of Peach's Castle Catastrophe when a star suddenly bonked him on the head. "OUCH!" it cried. The three quickly jotted over to the poor star.

"Oh sorry, sorry, so sorry! I'm in a huge hurry!" the star babbled.

"Why?" asked Link.

"Oh…it's…? You're Mario aren't you?" The star wondered while floating over to Mario. "Thank the stars I found you! Ah! Link is here too!" Link smiled at the fact someone remembered his name. The star hovered about in happiness. "How do you do? I'm Twink. Princess Peach asked me to bring something to you!"

Twink fidgeted around in suspension while the others were watching curiously. He finally pulled out the Lucky Star and held it proud. "Here! This is it! Take it!"

He handed it to Mario, who looked surprised as he placed it around his neck.

"Nice. Now we can use Action Commands!" Link chuckled. "My strength will be increased tenfold!"

"Calm down there…" Goombario warned.

"Okay, since Mario already knows how to use the commands, would you like to try Link?" Twink asked.

"I'd better. I need to get familiar with the way things work around here…" admitted Link.

"Okay! You'll be dueling against Goombario!" Twink stated. Goombario shrieked.

"That's even better!" Link smirked, preparing his sword.

"All right. Link, use Sword Slash!" Twink ordered.

Link nodded, and with his sword ready for an attack, rushed at Goombario. Right before striking, Twink told Link to spin before hitting. Making a hearty whirl, Link gave Goombario a taste of double the damage, causing him to drain four.

"See, when you make a complete circle, you're able to hit your enemy twice!" Twink explained.

"Oh, I can't wait until I get to attack him! I'LL SHOW YOU!" roared Goombario. Link rolled his eyes.

"Not just yet Goombario. We still need to teach Link Jab."

"Oh no."

Link ran up to his rival, and then pulled his sword to the side to charge up the attack. He launched forward, poking Goombario. Twink told him to jab again, which was the Action Command.

"The trick is to do that immediately after you jab once and you'll do six instead of three!"

"That one's a little hard…" Link mumbled.

"Hooray! Now I get to attack!" Goombario cheered.

"Get ready to block Link."

Link slightly ducked, right hand on his shield. When Goombario was mid-way in the air, Link quickly flashed his shield above his head to prevent any pain.

"Aw, what a rip-off!" complained Goombario.

"One last thing…Link, your counter attack. When an enemy comes in to attack, you can block, then counter! Give it a try!"

Link said okay and gripped his left hand on the sword. Goombario went in to attack, only this time, his face met a sword. The sword pushed him downward at the same time it did damage, doing a total of two.

"I am SO never fighting against Link again!" Goombario wailed. He snagged one of Link's Shrooms and gobbled it up to replenish a fraction of what was given. "Just terrific! You'll be even MORE powerful!"

"Ah, I don't even know how that's possible…" Link shrugged confidently.

"HERE YOU ARE!" a random voice shouted. A Magikoopa flew onto the scene. The party got ready to fight with their new techniques.

"What! It can't be! Were you following me?" Twink cried.

"What a foolish Star Kid. I knew that if I followed you, I'd find Mario! If I defeat Mario right now, I'll be famous! I'll tell Kammy Koopa! She'll shower me with praise! She'll give me a raise!" the Magikoopa babbled.

"Whatever! Forget that old hag!" Link demanded. "Time to make a paper cut!" Mario and Goombario groaned. "Hey, I try!"

Mario began with a Power Jump. Link was about to use his sword, but he finally found his one weakness: he couldn't attack anything in the air.

"What! This is an outrage!" Link pouted.

"Ha! Looks like you're not so perfect after all!" Goombario mocked. Link groaned and stepped out of the battle.

"Fine. I won't hold you guys back…good luck."

Mario waved as Goombario performed tattled on the foe.

"You're not that strong, with eleven HP, an attack of three, and no defense!" Goombario teased. "But, their magic attacks are no joke though…"

"HERE I COME!" cried the opponent. He summoned some magic and fired it at Mario. That took away the expected three HP. Mario grunted and finished him off with a simple hammer swing, since all the jumping knocked it to the ground. That was the end of the Magikoopa.

"Go tell Kammy Koopa THAT!" Link scoffed from the side.

"Well done, Mario. You're as strong as they say. I know that you'll be able to defeat Bowser. I'm going to return to Princess Peach's side, along with the other girls. I'm not strong enough to really help them, but at least I can tell them you're OK. Well Mario…see you later!" Twink squealed.

"Wait! What other girls?" Link shouted. Twink immediately made a U-turn.

"AH! I forgot! Not only was Peach kidnapped, but also another princess named Zelda and a hedgehog named Amy Rose.

"They have Zelda? ! NO!" Link gasped. "And Amy is from Sonic's world… but why would Bowser want them?"

"Maybe I'll find that out next time. But trust me, they're all okay…Farewell!" Twink floated away.

"Urgh! That makes me mad! Zelda…I'll save you!" Link swore.

"Let's head back to Toad Town so we CAN save her…" Goombario suggested. The others agreed and they returned to the beloved Toad Town, even more anxious to defeat Bowser.


	7. Koopas Weren't Meant to be Cool

Paper Mario X

Chapter 6: Koopas Weren't Meant to be Cool

"It sure was nice of Princess Peach to give you that Lucky Star, Mario," Goombario stated, admiring the shining star hanging from around Mario's neck as they made the trek back to Toad Town.

"Maybe it'll bring us some much needed luck," chuckled Link. Mario gripped his gift from Peach and nodded.

Mario: Oh yeah!

But Mario knew that it would take more that luck to defeat Bowser this time around…

**Back in Toad Town-**

They encountered a Toad again.

"Merlon was looking for you. He lives in that house with the spinning roof." explained the Toad. "He asked me to tell you to go meet him at his house. I was just about to go look for you, but here you are! It's rare for Merlon to call somebody to his house…"

Mario left the Toad and headed for the spinning roofed house. He knocked on the door, expecting the wizard to calmly open up and allow them inside.

"Merlon is out!"

Mario scratched his head as Link took over the situation.

"Allow me," he said calmly, before banging rapidly on the door. "LET US IN, MERLON! NOW!"

"Why do you keep knocking? I'm telling you, he's out!"

Suddenly, the door burst open and knocked Mario over. Link tripped over Mario while Goombario stood off to the side. Merlon emerged out of the house.

"What the…? Why is someone sleeping in front of my house?" he asked. "Wait a minute…that face seems very familiar to me…"

Mario and Link groggily stood up while Merlon mumbled to himself.

"You're Mario and Link! You should've come earlier! Oh well, you're here now…"

Mario: -.-*

Merlon eventually invited the gang inside, anxious to give the team some help.

"This is totally unexpected…" Link muttered. Mario silently agreed with him.

"Where to begin…? My name is Merlon. I'm a wizard. When I was reading the stars the other day, an oracle came to me. What I discovered is very important, and it concerns you," Merlon began. Mario and Link perked up.

"But, before I tell you about it, there are other things of which I must speak."

"Okay…"

Bla…bla…bla….the story dragged on for many a minute, causing Link to fall asleep and fall on Goombario. He made a sound to get Mario's attention, but the plumber was taking a nap too. Merlon yet forged on with his endless nonsense that had nothing to do at all with the mission.

Mario began to dream, dream Peach and her castle were back unharmed. The princess came closer to tell Mario something. In a man's voice she snapped, "Hey Mario! Were you listening to me! ?"

Mario and Link instantly snapped awake.

"Wha? Where'd my mushroom go?" Link babbled incoherently. Mario turned back to merlon who was expecting an answer, to which Mario simple nodded. Merlon looked at them in disbelief.

"Oh…all right…So anyway, that is why I am able to help you. If you get lost during your adventure, you can always come to me. I can predict the path you should take for a small price. According to my second sight, your path must first take you to the great fortress of the Koopa Bros," Merlon explained.

"Another fortress?" Link groaned.

"To reach the Koopa Bros. Fortress, head east on the road in front of the Toad House."

Mario thanked him and they all ran out before another rant could be heard. They marched to the east, only to run into some dark-coloredToads. They were blocking the path.

"Hey, get out of our way!" Link ordered. "We've got somewhere we need to be!"

"You don't wanna go out there. It's way too dangerous," the red one stated coolly.

"Going to the Koopa Bros. Fortress would be a huge mistake…" warned the one with the black spots.

"Definitely. Definitely don't go," a yellow Toad agreed.

"Most of all though, don't go asking old Merlon for help. That would be really bad news for us…I mean, you! Don't even think about it!" the green one wavered.

Link squinted. "Yeah. We'll totally listen to what you have to say…" Mario led the group away.

"All right! Let's go get Merlon!" Link directed.

"What! But they just said not to!" Goombario protested.

"Oh come on! It was a TRICK!" Link yelled.

"If something bad happens to us…I'm blaming you."

Link shrugged and trekked back to Merlon's house. Mario confidently followed with Goombario unsurely straggling behind.

"I really think this is a bad idea…"

His friends ignored him as they reentered Merlon's house. Mario went to Merlon's side and explained the situation.

"Come again? Strange Toads are blocking the east path? That shouldn't be…that's ridiculous! Such a thing has never been heard of! Never! I'll get to the bottom of this and see what's going on!"

a bit surprised, Merlon immediately went to attend to the matter.

"I still don't have a good feeling about this…" Goombario whimpered when they were back outside.

"Quiet! Mario decides what to do! You're just the partner," Link scoffed.

Goombario pouted again while they followed Merlon back to the peculiar Toads. They were not happy to see them.

"I told you, you can't pass!" the Red Toad growled. "Back off!"

"Hmmm! You aren't Toads, are you?" Merlon asked suspiciously.

"…Um…don't know what you're talking about…" mumbled Yellow Toad.

"Yeah, what gives?" grunted the green Toad. "Ask anyone! We're just cute, ordinary Toads hanging out!"

"Yeah right! You're about as cute as a Dodongo with those eyes!" retorted Link.

"Reveal your true selves!" Merlon cried, creating a spell. Four magic bolts of lightning struck the four Toads, revealing them to be the Koopa Bros. Link smirked at Goombario who was simply stunned.

"Humph! Just as I thought! You're the Koopa Bros.!" Merlon scorned.

"How…how'd you guess it was us? We were perfectly disguised!" Red asked shocked. "Shucks! Black! Yellow! Green! We retreat…for now…"

"Yeah! We gotta go take care of that hedgehog before he escapes!" Black agreed when they all left. Link heard him and suddenly became alert.

"Hedgehog? They have Sonic?" he asked himself. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"Don't worry: he'll receive a nice bath!" Green holler over his should before the brothers disappeared completely.

"But he can't swim…" Link began, but then realized. "YOU'RE GOING TO DROWN HIM!"

Mario had to grab Link before he could do something he regretted.

"Mario, those imposters were none other than the Koopa Bros. You must pursue them to their hideout, Koopa Bros. Fortress. There's one part of your fortune that I haven't revealed. To get to Koopa Bros. Fortress, you'll need the help from a blue-shelled Koopa. This is a strange portent. In Koopa Village, you might find something to clear it up. I must return home now," Merlon added. He left without saying good-bye.

"You heard him! We need to go save Sonic!…and the Star Spirit! LET'S GO!" Link urged.

"Impatient much?" Goombario snickered.

"I just…want to help my friend…"

Mario placed a hand on Link's shoulder and moved his head in the right direction. Link smiled and quickly headed east. Mario and Goombario exchanged glances as they walked. Across the bridge was a Koopa Troopa. He had a red shell, spiked bracelets and a spiny collar, and wore shades…and Mario was wondering where he was when Koopas decided to punk up.

The Troopa noticed the group approaching, pulled into its shell, and slammed into Goombario. He yelped, getting one HP taken away from him. The Troopa snickered while Mario came to jump. It made the Troopa fall on his back, helpless and defenseless. Link jabbed the turtle to finish him off.

"What's this? You guys get to fight and I get hurt?" Goombario groaned.

"Not our fault," Link answered.

After pounding some sense into two Paragoombas, Mario hit a mystery box to collect a coin.

"How cheap! Heh…cheap?" Link asked, trying to be funny again.

"Please Link. Just don't bother…" moaned Goombario.

Link scowled when they met up with a spiky goomba. It was now Goombario's time to realize that he couldn't attack spiky enemies.

"I found _my_ weakness…" he murmured.

"We all have our days…" Link retorted as he slashed through the goomba.

Mario hit a red mystery block to claim the Dizzy Attack badge. He stowed it away. They continued, collecting a POW block, beating a Troopa, and Goombario freaking out. They were doing great, but there was a giant gap in the path, preventing them from crossing.

"Why is there a gap there?" Goombario panicked. "How are we going to get across? WE'RE NEVER GOING TO SAVE THE DAY!"

"Cool it! We just have to find a switch or a pressure point or something…" Link told him. He pondered for a bit, and then took a look around his surroundings. Link noticed the inconspicuous tree. He gave it a hearty kick and a switch fell out. Mario knew how uncomfortable Link was with switches so he gladly hit it for him. A bridge then shot up from the water and placed itself neatly where it belonged. Link suddenly had the instinct to break a floating brick box, although Mario spotted something on top of it. It was a spiky Goomba, but Link took care of it quickly.

"I need more of a challenge…" he told himself.

He didn't get one with the Goomba or the Troopa.

"Things are a lot less complicated here…" admitted Link.

The little bunch of heroes located another sign that told them where Koopa Bros. Fortress was and where Koopa Village was. Mario told them they should head to Koopa Village first. Naturally, Link and Goombario agreed, and they journeyed to the little Turtle Place. As soon as they reached the village, they came across another unhip Koopa.

"Can it be? Are you Mario?" he asked. Mario nodded. "Welcome to Koopa Village! I wish we could really welcome you, but we're in big trouble. Can't you see what kind of madness is going on? This village is in an uproar because of the Fuzzies. You…know what Fuzzies are like, do you, Mario? Mean guys. They're really naughty."

A Fuzzy came crashing down onto the poor Koopa and ripped the shell right off his back. He wailed as the Fuzzy took off. The Koopa cried and chased after the Fuzzy. Mario, Link, and Goombario looked on at the sight of uncool Koopas without shells that made them less cool, Fuzzies bouncing everywhere, and shells in places unimaginable.

"This village is in peril!" Goombario cried. "We've got to help!"

"This shell be hard…HA HA HA! Oh, I had to laugh at that one, sorry…" Link chortled.


	8. That Fuzzy Feeling

Paper Mario X

Chapter 7: That Fuzzy Feeling

Mario decided to help the person that welcomed them get his shell back. He simply taught the Fuzzy a lesson by giving a hammer whack. It hissed and bounced off, dropping the shell behind him. The Koopa quickly slunk back into his shell and began to cheer.

"Oh thank you Mario! I owe you one. I just can't walk around without my shell on. Talk about embarrassing. Mario, be sure to keep your shell safe from Fuzzies, okay? Oops. You don't have one. Watch your overalls then…" The Koopa said.

Mario and Link left him to go help some other fellow Koopas. Link helped a Koopa retrieve his shell on a brick block, and Mario assisted one by knocking a shell out of a tree. In the next area, Goombario helped Mario get another Fuzzy in a dirt patch. Link pushed a blue block into a hole to help him reach another shell on a block.

"I think that was the last of the shells," Link observed.

"Hey…what's going on in that house over there?" Goombario wondered, referring to a house where the roof was literally shaking.

"Someone's trying to raise the roof!" Link exclaimed.

"Argh! Stop all the bad puns! You're not funny Alelfzander!" Goombario hissed.

"Nope! Still not my name!" Link grumbled, unsheathing his sword. "Run boy, run!"

Goombario screamed and made tracks for the shaking house with Link on his tail, Mario trudging behind.

"Who's there?" a voice on the other side of the door cried. "I'm kind of busy right now!"

"Is there anything we can help you with?" Link asked, trying to open to door. Before Link could enter, a Koopa kicked the door open and ran out. Apparently he wasn't expecting Mario to be there, because he stopped dead in his tracks and practically started dancing.

"Aren't you Mario? ! You ARE! My name's Kooper! I'm so psyched to meet you!" Kooper squealed.

"Who opens a door and instantly introduces themselves?" Link asked, lying on the ground after being hit by said door.

"Us meeting here has got to be fate or something. I need a huge favor…I hope you'll help me out."

"Whatever could it possibly be?" Link sarcastically wondered.

"This wild Fuzzy took my shell, and next to my life, is the most important thing I have. I can't do without my shell, period. Way too embarrassing. The problem is, the Fuzzies are too fast for me to catch alone. So if you don't mind, can you help me get my shell back? I'm begging you!"

"Hey Mario. It looks like he's in a bad way. We ought to help him out," Goombario said when he was done.

"Why not, we don't have anything else to do…" sighed Link.

"The Fuzzy that took my shell is just inside the house. I'll guard the door while you grab him like: Whump!

Mario entered Kooper's house where the Fuzzy gripped the blue shell with pride. It jumped up and down, daring one of them to make a move.

"Meeeeeeork!"

Mario and Link darted at the Fuzzy, only to have it escape out the back door. They went in hot pursuit down a path full of Fuzzies, waiting to ambush them in the bushes.

"Fuzzies have three HP, an attack of one, and no defense," Goombario read from his book as they dashed down the path. "It's really tough to defend against their attacks. If they latch onto you, they'll suck up your HP and replenish their own!"

"Well that's not cool," Link stated, frowning as he did so.

. . .

When they came to yet another bridge, Link began to sing.

"Over the river and through the woods! From Kooper's house we came! We chased a Fuzzy down a path; we'll play his little game!"

"AH! Your singing is worse than your jokes!" Goombario complained.

In the last part of the Fuzzy Forest, the blue shell and the Fuzzy disappeared up a tree. Link shook a fist up at the tree in frustration.

"Your singing must have scared it…" Goombario snapped.

"I sing just fine!" Link retorted.

The Fuzzy taunted them by hanging from a tree and showing off the shell, infuriating them all.

"Meeeeork! Come get it if you can!" Link hacked into the tree to making it shake, only to have a dozen Fuzzies giggle at him. "Meeeeork! Guess where I'm hiding!"

The Fuzzies bounced from tree to tree, making Goombario dizzy. They eventually stopped and Mario hit the tree with the Fuzzy in it.

"Meee-oh? Not bad, chump. But that was just a warm-up!"

The game continued for a few more rounds, only to have the Fuzzy become more infuriated each time. The final time, the Fuzzy was serious. He and his fuzzy friends hopped from tree to tree in such a blur, the only difference was the blue shell. Mario gave the last tree a great whack, causing the Fuzzy to give up the shell.

"I give! Uncle!" it wailed. "Take the stupid shell! You're too tough for me. I won't be bad anymore, I promise."

"Good to see we change someone for the better!" Link declared, folding his arms.

"Well, maybe," the Fuzzy added. "Whatever! Later, meeork!"

He and the rest of the Fuzzies disappeared in the forest, leaving Mario, Link, and Goombario with nothing but Kooper's shell. Just as the gang was getting ready to turn back, an angry Kooper appeared.

"Mario! There you are! I realized I have to take a stand against these Fuzzies! If I can't get my own shell, I'll lose my reputation. I don't even care that I have no shell on! I'm gonna show those Fuzzies what's what!" Kooper rambled.

"We already got the shell back," stated Goombario. Mario handed to him and Link gave an obvious face. Kooper smiled sheepishly before celebrating.

"Oh yes! Yes! This is my shell all right! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Got my shell back! Uh-huh!" he sang with Link dancing. "You're the greatest Mario! I owe you big time!"

Mario tossed the shell and Kooper jumped into it.

"Good to hear you're happy…" Goombario muttered.

"Say Mario…I have an idea…Do you happen to know Professor Kolorado?"

Mario: Not a clue.

"Naturally he's a Koopa who's a professor of archeology. He's also known as an explorer," explained Goombario.

"Nerd!" coughed Link.

"Right! Well, I live next to him. I've been admiring Professor Kolorado ever since I was in my egg! Nothing would make me happier than traveling the world, solving mysteries like he does! PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU MARIO! I'll help! C'mon! Lemme go!" Kooper pleaded.

"What do you think, Mario?" Link asked, noticing the plumber looking thoughtful.

"His shell is blue…and Merlon said we needed to have a blue-shell Koopa to get through the forest…" Goombario trailed. He then whirled around to Mario and literally begged, "No! Don't let him go, PLEASE! I'll be totally obsolete!"

Link snorted, making Goombario beg even harder. Mario had to let Kooper join; there was no way around it. He _was_ the blue-shelled Koopa Merlon spoke of. He welcomed him to the team.

"All right then, Kooper! Welcome to the gang, partner!" Link laughed, putting his arm around the Koopa. "YAH! Now I have someone besides Goombario to talk to!"

Link and Kooper exchanged a high five as Goombario grumbled something nasty.

"OH YES! YES! I'm on my way! I swear, I, Kooper, will follow you anywhere, even to the ends of the Earth!" Kooper exclaimed.

"Oh this is SO great! We have a little catching up to do…" Link chattered.

"Aw. Now I'm gonna get replaced…" moaned Goombario.

As they started to leave, the Fuzzy returned.

"Meeeeeork!" the sharp battle cry of the foe caused the group of now four to turn around. The Fuzzy from before was staring them down, and he didn't look like he was up for any good deeds. "I changed my mind, suckers! How about a fight?"

The Fuzzy charged, with three of his cohorts to back him up, making a total of four. This time, Mario had to choose which partner he wanted. Since Kooper was new, it was probably a good idea to see what he was made of. Mario pointed at the Koopa, making him jump excitedly.

"Yeah! I'll show you what I can do!" Kooper cheered.

"Step aside Goombario!" Link teased.

"Oh…okay…"

Mario let Kooper go first, much to the dismay of Goombario. He rummaged around though the items and pulled out the Fire Flower from a while back. He used it, doing three damage to all the Fuzzies, and all of them collapsed on the spot.

"We'll be good! We'll be good!" they howled, springing back up and running away. Mario knew better than to trust those words, but he was just glad they had been taken care of.

"Good thinking Kooper!" Link encouraged. Mario nodded and made Kooper even more confident. "You are going to be Mario's partner for a while. If we get another partner, they'll be MY partner, since I don't want useless Goombario…"

"Oh thank you Link! That really gives me that fuzzy feeling inside-the one that makes me throw up!" Goombario snapped sarcastically.

"Pah, you're just jealous we don't need you anymore…"

Goombario let the rest of his team go on ahead before whispering:

"Maybe I am…"


	9. Storming the Koopa Bros Fortress

Paper Mario X

Chapter 8: Storming the Koopa Bros. Fortress

The gang, now with Kooper, was currently at the three-way junction. Mario walked past the sign that pointed in the direction of Koopa Bros. Fortress, feeling confident as he trotted over the bridge leading there. Link was probably just as ready to storm the place, marching alongside the plumber. Kooper was eager as well, and Goombario was pretty much only tagging along for Mario's sake.

On the way to the fortress, the group came across a suspicious patch of coins. Goombario started to walk over to get them, but Kooper stopped him at the last moment.

"Wait!" Kooper cried. He pulled into his shell and flung over the coins to collect them all.

"What was the point of that?" Goombario grumbled, walking into the spot where the coins have been. A Koopa Troopa suddenly jumped out to attack. They watched as Goombario fought him all by himself. When he was done, he glared at him team.

"You didn't help me!" he screamed.

"We thought you'd like it that way," replied Link casually.

"Well, I _didn't_-"

"But you're always going on and on about how you want to be useful, and there was your chance!"

"All right! Just forget it…" Goombario sighed.

He slunk a good distance away from the rest of the group, officially bringing up the back. Kooper wanted to take everyone's mind off Goombario, and Goombario's mind off himself, so he did just that when he retrieved a Thunder Bolt sitting on a block that could only be reached by him. Mario jumped off the side of the small cliff and picked it up off the ground, while Link kicked over a Spiky Goomba running in to charge.

"Hey, what's this sign say?" Goombario wondered, having his interest piqued by a sign once again. It was located next to a rushing waterfall, which was also preventing them from going any farther. "No entry allowed, Mario! Yours truly, the Koopa Bros.

"They were nice enough to give us an invitation, huh?" Link chuckled.

"Why do bad guys always do things like that?" Goombario questioned. "Whether it's for comic relief or because they think they're clever, it's just all around pointless!"

"Plus putting switches in obvious places is pointless too," Kooper pointed out, Mario kicking his shell across the gap to hit the switch on the other side. Just like before, a bridge built itself into existence, giving them the ability to cross the river.

"What's up with all these bridges?" Link pondered while snacking on a honey-dipped Shroom he made. "This is pretty good! I need the recipe…"

Mario: Even though you just made it yourself?

"I just realized that…"

. . .

Over the bridge, the group had been attack by some Paratroopas, with Kooper wishing he had wings of his own. Before the battle began, Goombario pulled out his book and red up on Paratroopas.

"No surprise here- Paratroopas are just Koopa Troopas with wings. Max HP is four, attack is one, and they have a defense of one too. When you jump on 'em or use a POW Block, their wings fall off and they become normal Koopa Troopas. It's easy to beat 'em once they're normal Koopa Troopas. Give 'em another Jump attack! They think they're pretty cool because they wear sunglasses, but they're not that tough."

"Oh man…" Koopa trailed, looking at the wings of the Koopa uneasily.

"What's up, Kooper?" Link asked.

"If that thing rams into me, I'll be knocked over, and I'll be just as helpless as a Koopa Troopa when you jump on it!"

"Looks like everyone got a weakness, then," Goombario said thoughtfully. "We can all only do so much…"

"Unless you're Mario," Link said blatantly, watching as the red garbed hero trounced the flying turtle. As Goombario predicted, the wings of the turtle disappeared, and the Troopa fell onto his back. No longer feeling threatened, Kooper pulled into his shell, and Mario kicked him at the fellow Koopa, finishing it off.

The Koopa Bros. Fortress was just beyond where they had defeated the Paratroops, luckily for them, but their battles weren't quite over. With one last fight with some Spiky Goombas and a Troopa, Link asked Mario if he felt like they got stronger with every battle, to which Mario nodded.

"I've always glanced at this place as I walked on the path…" Kooper trailed. "But I've never actually stood in the front yard and gazed up into it…"

"I just can't believe only four Koopas live there!" Link exclaimed.

"Well, it's not just them," began Kooper. "The Koopa Bros. used to live in the village, until their spouts of crime led them to the deserted fortress, where they took refuge from the rest of us. Now they have Koopa Troopas and Bob-ombs working for them, but I personally haven't seen them in a long time…"

Mario nodded with interest, searching for the way in. The front path winded around to the back, where…they couldn't find the entrance.

"Where the heck is the door, Mario?" Link asked. Mario shrugged.

"You guys totally walked past the door," Goombario pointed out, standing behind them and leaning against said door. Kooper smacked his head while the two grown men sweat dropped. Before anyone could open the door, however, Black burst though at the last moment and sent Goombario flying into Link.

"Whoa! Mario! What the…" he sputtered. "Oh we're in a_ world _of hurt! Mario's here already! I gotta tell the leader. RED KOOPA!"

The Ninja Koopa darted back inside, slamming the door shut, but Mario and company followed him in. When they entered, Red Koopa shells were floating around in a little pool of water, causing Kooper to shiver at the sight. A Koopa Troopa guard spotted them and zipped over, only to have Mario jump on his shell. The turtle was helpless as Kooper spun into him followed by a slash from Link. Once the Troopa was felled, he dropped a key that unlocked the nearby door.

"I bet Black just locked it too," Link said with a smirk as Mario entered the next area.

. . .

The next room was ticking with Bob-ombs, and the group quickly found out that bombs were pretty tough to figure out.

"Bob-ombs are pretty temperamental, and they get steaming mad when you attack 'em. You'd better not jump on 'em when they're angry or they'll blow up in your face. In fact, stay away entirely. Attack 'em from a distance with items like Hammers, swords, or you could send in other things, like shells. If they attack when angry, they'll charge in and explode. So you'd better take care of them before they blow!" Goombario warned.

Mario nodded at Goombario as he ran at the first Bob-omb, swinging his hammer into its side. As expected, this literally lit its fuse, and Kooper's shell caused it to explode.

"He was a pretty short fused guy, huh?" snickered Link, causing Mario to facepalm. "Take about an explosive personality!"

Link kept up the bomb puns as the group defeated all the foes in the room, taking them all on one by one. Once all the enemies were taken care of, Kooper pointed out a crack in the wall to their lefts. Mario noticed it as well and kept that in mind while Link pushed open the next door.

. . .

On the other side was Green Koopa, pulling off a job with one of the Koopa guards. He placed a key on the other side of the wall that had a crack in it, then walked out as a set of iron bars prevented anyone from getting to it.

"Ha! Let's see the great Mario get any farther now!" he declared.

However, upon seeing the imposing group, the Troopa tapped Green's shoulder and pointed behind him. Green turned around and blanched.

"Yaaa! Mario! You- uh…Don't try any…You'll still never find your way through this fortress! Umm…It looks like they'll be some fighting here! How exciting! See ya!" he cackled, scurrying off.

That left Mario with the Troopa he was talking to, yet the red hero managed to defeat him without too much of a tussle. Another Troopa looked like he was captured in a cell, until he emerged through a secret passage. Mario and co. defeated that Koopa as well, finding that it was getting easier to do so.

"Hey…there's two keys in this room!" Koopa exclaimed, grabbing onto the bars of a cell holding another key. Mario noticed that there was a crack on the wall of the cell as well, finding it all very suspicious…

"Well, maybe if we find a way to get in there, we'll have to come back," Link stated as he won his fight against another Troopa.

. . .

The following room had two ways to go, but since one was via a locked door being guarded by a Troopa, they were forced to take the other way.

"Why is he guarding a door that's locked? We don't even have the key!" Link exclaimed, shaking his head at the Troopa.

"That is pretty unnecessary…" Kooper agreed.

Mario just ignored the turtle for the time being and led them up the large stone steps, since there was nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, Mario fell and caught the attention of the guard. The guard immediately went to strike Mario, but Link attacked him before he reached Mario. Two HP was already taken away from him, and he was already on the ground. Mario Power Jumped on him, which finished him off.

"Uh guys? You still have some Bob-ombs to face…" Goombario pointed out from the sidelines. All three looked over to see the bombs waiting to be attacked. Kooper shrugged and launched his Power Shell to hit all the Bob-ombs at once. All lost two points, and all their fuses lit up the room. It was Link's turn again, and he slashed at the first bomb.

"You guys are so annoying!" he yelled.

When the remaining two Bob-ombs rammed into Mario, Mario guarded himself from them both, though still took quite a bit of damage. Link walked over and handed Mario a Honey Shroom, which Mario thanked him for.

"Anytime! Can't have Mario go anywhere looking all banged up," Link laughed.

As that was going on, Kooper heard something fall and went to investigate.

"Over there you guys!" he called, standing behind the staircase. They trotted over to him to discover another switch. Link cowardly hid behind Kooper while Mario professionally jumped on it. The ground started to rumble as the stairs suddenly lowered downward.

"Didn't see that one coming!" Link cried.

"Well, the chains connecting to the stairs were a bit of a giveaway," muttered Goombario.

"I didn't happen to notice them!"

The stairs sank into the ground, beckoning Mario to come down them. Now there really was no other option. Mario sighed and trudged down the steps. Link suddenly darted all the way to the left for some reason, stating that something was pulling him toward that direction. When Mario, Goombario, and Kooper caught up with them, the way out lifted up out of their reach.

"What's wrong with this place?" wondered Link.

"Don't ask us! You're the one who ran over here!" Kooper scowled.

"We could've taken the door, but no!" Goombario added.

"That's what they wanted you to think!" Link defended.

Mario: Hello? Three Troopas about to hurt us?

"It's over when the chubby plumber speaks!"

"Oh burn! You got dissed by Link!"

"Who's side are you on?" Goombario asked Kooper, who grinned sheepishly.

There were two Paratroopas and a single regular Troopa. Kooper slammed into the one Troopa while Mario power jumped on a Paratroopa. The remaining Paratroopa rammed into Link while the Troopa that wasn't lying on its back attacked Mario. Link took out the struggling Troopa with his sword, then sighed and turned to Goombario.

"Okay Goombario…get rid of the Paratroopa's wings so we can end this," he said reluctantly. Once Goombario quickly turned the other Paratroopa into a Troopa, the two Troopas whirled into their enemies to get a little revenge. Mario, Link, and Kooper each did their own attacks on all of the Koopas, finally defeating them all.

"Well, that one was a bit of a workout…" Link admitted.

"It wasn't a stroll down Pleasant Path, that's for sure!" Kooper settled.

"Come on! The doorways are back at our level!" Goombario noticed.

Mario led his partners through the leftmost doorway, where two firetraps were waiting. They were a piece of cake for Mario, but the same couldn't be said for Link, who was now running around trying to put out the fire on one of his boots.

"Now that's what I call a burn!" he joked, once the fire was out. Kooper turned and whispered to Goombario.

"How long have you been with this guy?"

"Much too long…" Goombario said as quietly as possible.

Mario snagged the key in the romand retraced his steps.

"Ha! Mario found a key! I knew you should always trust instinct!" Link said proudly.

"Yes, just not yours…" snickered Goombario.

. . .

Instead of going through the unlocked door, which Goombario constantly said they should do, Mario went back up the stairs to put the key in the door up there. When they entered, Yellow Koopa was hammering rapidly on a certain part of the floor. He then gave a thumbs up to no one.

"Ok! This is perfect…I think." he trailed to himself. Yellow then heard the door shut and gasped. "Whoa! Looks like Mario's here…"

He ran off before the group could discover his presence…or his meddling.

Meanwhile, back at the bottom of the room, the team began climbing up the large spiral pathway, up to the top where Yellow had been hammering like crazy. Mario found a Question Mark Block, and although it was rather oddly placed, what was the harm in giving it a whack?

"Don't hit that! That's clearly a trap!" Kooper warned.

"That's why he just hit it!" Link yelped.

"Oh great…" groaned Goombario.

Mario grinned sheepishly as the four of them found themselves standing in thin air. Within seconds of this realization, the quartet of heroes and sidekicks fell several floors, not knowing what would become of their fate…

Yellow Koopa walked back in the see if his trap worked, and to his delight, it did.

"Bahahahah! Losers! Serves you right! You fell for it!"

They certainly fell for it all right- in more ways than one.


	10. Bomb Bonding

Paper Mario X

Chapter 9: Bomb Bonding

Mario's head _hurt._

"Oh, what was that? Where did that fall from?"

Mario rubbed the back off his head as he sat up, trying to find the owner of the new voice, but his vision was temporarily blurry. When it finally cleared up, he discovered he was sitting in a cell. Glancing around, he found Link, Kooper, and Goombario scattered about the area as well. As he was trying to estimate how far they fell, Link pushed himself off the ground and groaned loudly.

"Time to pull out the harmonica, eh Mario?" Link asked, once he figured out their location as well.

"Hey, you're pretty funny…" a female voice laughed. "It's good to have some comedy around here…"

Mario and Link turned around to find that they weren't the only ones in the cell- a whole group of Bob-ombs were locked up as well, the colors ranging from red to navy blue to green…and the one laughing at them happened to be a bold pink color with her fuse tied to resemble a braid.

"Oh…I wondered what just fell, but…aren't you…Mario?" the bomb asked, to which Mario nodded. "I never in a million years thought I'd meet a famous guy like you in a place like this!"

"Who're you?" Link practically echoed, staring at her curiously.

"Who…me? My name's Bombette. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a Bob-omb. Pleased to meet you," Bombette explained.

"Bombette's a pretty name. I'm Link, hero and adventurer extraordinaire…" introduced Link. Mario gagged.

"Hey! You know…you remind me of that hedgehog…" she recalled.

"What hedgehog?" Link questioned alarmed. "Was his name Sonic?"

"Yeah! He was thrown in here the same day I was, and he was out cold! When he finally woke up, he had short term amnesia and immediately tried to break out," Bombette informed. "Why, just yesterday, the Koopa Bros. came and grabbed him, saying it was time to go for a swim. They gripped his arms and almost took him to the Shell Pool where some koopa shells are. He immediately knew they were going to drown him, since he couldn't swim. Sonic told them they'd never take him alive, hit them all with one kick, and ran away…I have no idea where he could have possibly went."

Link slammed his fist into the wall. "We just missed him Mario! Ugh…where could he have gone?"

"Not too far, if that's any help…" Bombette added, trying to sound helpful.

"It's okay. Sonic's just a really good friend of mine, and a new pal of Mario's. We've been trying to find him, two of our other pals, and three of our girl friends that were kidnapped!"

"I'm sorry you're stuck in here now. I've been here for whom-knows how long…"

Link forgot his troubles to feel pity for the pink bomb.

"And worse…" Bombette made a face. "You see that blue Bob-omb over there? That's my ex, Bruce."

Link looked over to see said bomb swooning over Bombette. "He still loves me, yet I dumped him. I couldn't return his feelings. I try to tell him that I'm not interested, but he swoons over me anyway!"

"hmm…probably because you're such a great person!"

Bombette smiled as Link went to follow Mario around his expedition of the cave. All the other Bob-ombs had their fuses cut off or shortened. Eventually, they got tired of investigating and talked to Bombette again.

"So, Bombette," Kooper began. "What are you in for?"

"Because I'm a menace!" she answered strongly, making the four guys jump. "At least to these guys…Those uncouth Koopa Bros.! I was just one of the many Bob-ombs working here. But those Koopa Bros…Once Bowser took over, they started working us into the ground! I couldn't take it anymore, so I exploded next to them. Yeah, that was a mistake. The Koopa Bros. didn't like it. So they locked me up in here. Then they locked up the rest of the Bob-ombs because they thought they might rise up. You know, a Bob-omb rebellion! What do you think about that?"

"Rebellion sounds fun right now…" Link admitted.

"Anyway Mario, we want to get out of here. Do you think you could help spring us from this place or what? Pretty please? If you help us…I promise I'll return the favor…"

"Yes. We'll help you Bombette. The faster we get out of here, the faster we can find Sonic!" Link said confidently.

"I'd be happy if you joined," Kooper added.

"Not ANOTHER one!" Goombario cried.

Mario told her yes and she shook with glee. Link picked her up and told them all she was now his Soul Partner.

"That means you follow me around while Kooper or Goombario (yeah right) follows Mario. Are you down with that?" Link wondered.

"Oh! How nice! We'll be good friends from now on, I can feel it!" she squealed joyfully.

"You remind me of my bombs back in Hyrule…too bad I don't have them now," Link sighed.

"You're from another world like Sonic? That's awesome!"

"Can we stop talking about Sonic? Doesn't anyone care about Kirby or Samus?" Goombario asked.

"No duh Goombario, but we haven't the slightest info about where in the world they are, or what happened to them!" Link snapped. He turned to Bombette. "Now let's work on getting us out of here."

"Right! …oh, gee, I almost forgot!" Bombette exclaimed, leaping out of Link's possession. "I didn't tell you guys what I can do! Silly me! My specialty is exploding. Check this out."

As an example, she walked over to a large crack in the wall and blew herself up. The crack burst and revealed a hole where they could escape.

"Yeah! See what I bring to the party, guys?

Mario: …

"…Uh…" was all Link could mutter.

"…an escape route? Uh…I guess I never thought about doing that before…" Bombette admitted. "I was so mad, I just blew up over and over in one place! Well, anyway, we can get out now right? So can everyone else! Now enough chit chat! I have a little score to settle with those Koopa Bros.!"

When Mario, Kooper, Goombario, Link, and Bombette headed for the escape hole, a Troopa followed by two Bob-ombs showed up.

"What's all this noise?" the Troopa boomed. "In case you Bob-ombs forgot, exploding is prohibited inside the fortress except in the case of emergencies!"

They turned the corner to see Mario and his gang trying to make a break for it.

"What in the…Mario! What are you doing here? Nothing good I bet. Everybody, get him!" he ordered.

Link turned to Bombette as Mario and Kooper struck battle stances.

"Ready for your first fight Bombette?" he asked.

"Sure am!" she replied.

Mario started off with a jump to knock the Troopa down. Kooper performed a Power Shell to hit everyone. Link cut out the last of the Troopa. Bombette waddled over and exploded in a bomb's face, giving them a taste of their own medicine. The remaining opponent rammed into Mario, not doing much damage. Mario hammered him, then had Bombette blast what he had left.

"That was exciting! I never knew my own strength!" Bombette explained.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" Kooper asked. Bombette nodded.

"Well it looks like you'll be a fine addition to the team," Link said with a smile.

Mario: Oh yeah!

"Aw, you guys are making me blush!" Bombette giggled. Goombario rolled his eyes and headed for the only door leading out.

. . .

The door led them back to the stair room, which they climbed back up. Mario retraced his steps to the spiral path room, where he had Link use Bombette to blow a hole in the wall. It led outside where a brown chest sat. Link kicked it open. Inside was the Refund Badge.

"Darn! I thought we were onto something…" Link grumbled while Mario stowed it away.

"Heh, you had an idea and used it!" Bombette said positively.

"An idea…Bombette, you're a genius!" Goombario suddenly exclaimed.

"I…am?"

"Hey! That was MY idea!" Link protested.

"Just hush for a minute, gnome face. Bombette just blasted through a crack in the wall, and if you recall, we saw some cracks in the walls that those two keys are stored in…"

"We can get to the keys now!" Kooper suddenly yelped, catching on!

Mario: Oh yes!

"C'mon, Bombette! We've got some stuff to blow up!" Link cheered.

"I'm just glad I can help," Bombette said modestly, following the group back through the wall.

**Room With the Three Cells-**

After they defeated all the Troopa reinforcements, Link told Bombette to blow up the crack in the side of the first cell. Once she did, he ran inside and secured another Fortress Key. The group went back even further to the previous room, where Mario recalled there was the crack in the wall on the upper ledge.

"How are we supposed to get Bombette up there?" Kooper wondered. Then Mario remembered the door Yellow escaped in and told everyone that maybe they'd find something if they headed there first. They agreed and backtracked yet again.

**Room that Yellow Escaped To-**

Once they entered that room, Mario encountered a Paratroopa again, but he and Link took care of it. On the other side of the room was the first locked door. Link pulled out the key he and Bombette retrieved and stuck it into the lock. A satisfying 'click' emerged afterwards, allowing them access to a new area.

. . .

The following area wasn't quite a new area- just a new place in an old area. They were currently standing on top of the cell they had freed the first key from. Mario scanned the place and quickly deduced that they were in for a bit of a puzzle.

"Another switch! Toss me Mario!" Kooper requested, pointed frantically at a switch on the next platform. Mario complied and kicked the Koopa's shell over. It hit the button, causing some walls to pop out along with a new pathway.

"Well, this is new…" Goombario said to no one in particular.

Mario led his gang across the first few platforms, and then used Kooper again to get rid of the wall blocking the way. Kooper was launched two more times to hit a different switch, making all the slabs pop out again so they could reach the door on the other side.

"Good job Kooper!" Bombette exclaimed.

Kooper just blushed while Mario opened the door. A switch, a stairway on chain, two Koopas, and two bob-ombs were waiting for them. Using the same strategy as before, Mario, Kooper, Link and Bombette took care of them easily.

"Now for the switch…" Bombette trailed, lighting her fuse and trotting over to the blue button. When she detonated, the stairs behind them shook, and started to lower down.

"I heard of an elevator being used like that, but if the stairs are jealous, then that's a problem…" Link stated, causing Bombette let out a chuckle. "At least someone thinks I'm funny…"

Kooper and Goombario made faces. Mario groaned as he headed down the steps. They passed another locked door, but they still didn't have the last key. It was just their luck the staircase led them to that one crack Bombette couldn't get to! Link set Bombette off, and the crack in the wall was toast. Link dashed in, snatched the key, and everyone headed back up.

"That was convenient!" exclaimed Kooper.

. . .

"…and in this room, we have ourselves yet another switch!"

Mario found the abundance of switches in this place to be unsettling, but nevertheless he smashed it with his hammer and awaited the effects. The team realized they were above the Shell Pool, where the Koopa Bros. originally planned to drown Sonic. It started to drain out, and revealed some stairs hidden underneath. The stairs began to rise with the two red shells turning back into Troopas. They started to freak out and quickly ran off the steps as it stopped moving when it reached the top. Mario performed a Power Jump on one, and then Kooper slammed into it. Link had Bombette blow up the other one while he topped it off with a sword slash.

"What? Were we too tough for them?" Bombette mocked. Link grinned while she pretended to punch some fists. Mario hid a smile as he reached the door on the top part of the area. Link ignored the door and he and Bombette headed for the very top where a bob-omb and a Smash Charge badge were waiting. While Bombette exploded the fellow bomb, Link picked up the Smash Charge and they scurried to find Mario.

"Nice job Bombette!" Link said.

"Aw, thank you!" Bombette gushed. "It was nothing at all! It came naturally!"

The two now close friends laughed their way back to the door where they left Mario. This was the start of a beautiful friendship.


	11. Teenage Mutant Ninja Koopas:Get Original

Paper Mario X

Chapter 10: Teenage Mutant Ninja Koopas: Get Original!

Link and Bombette entered the door to catch up with Mario. Link gave him the badge, considering he didn't have a hammer, or BP for that matter. Mario gave a nod in thanks, but he wasn't paying very much attention to his new badge.

He was focusing on the more important matter of the Koopa Bros., who were standing on the other side of the bridge leading to the final tower.

Black, Green, and Yellow jumped out ready for action, along with Red trotting after them. He saw Mario and pointed a finger.

"Well, well, well! Mario! I wouldn't have bet you made it this far," he scoffed. "Pfffft! But don't get smug pal! You just caught us off guard!"

"What guard? Oh, wait...nevermind!" Kooper called. Red muttered something nasty about Kooper and turned his head to stare dead-straight at Link. Bombette's fuse was about go off, but luckily Link put it out before she could detonate.

"Trust me! We'll mop the floor with you if we get serious! We're as cool as they come! Cooler than that rat too!"

"You wish, Ninja Turtle Wanna-be! And FYI, Sonic is a hedgehog! You take that back!" Link demanded, ripping out his sword. Red smirked and hopped down to join his brothers, who each were manning a cannon- otherwise known as a Bullet Bill Blaster.

Mario: Uh oh.

"Yeah, boys!" Red cheered, pumping his fists. "Open FIRE!"

Three Bullet Bills launched across the bridge, everyone falling to the ground to avoid them. Mario then sprung back to his feet and charged through the Bullet, dodging around them carefully. Kooper stuck close to Mario, while Goombario proceeded to use Kooper as a shield as he read up some info in his book.

"This is the worst place to read us a fun fact, Goombario!" Kooper wailed as he ducked under a bullet. Goombario ignored him and flipped through the pages until he found Bullet Bills.

"This is a Bullet Bill, a kamikaze attacker. If you don't beat Bullet Bills quickly, they'll slam into you and explode. Max HP two, attack power two, and defense power zero," he then noticed Mario snickering as he smacked one out of the air with his hammer. "I'm serious, Mario. These guys will really make us pay if they manage to hit us! We have to beat 'em before they get the chance to strike us."

Meanwhile, Link and Bombette avoided the Bullet Bills by taking a separate path, but it was blocked off by a small brown boulder.

"Bombette! Blow up that rock!" Link commanded.

"All right!"

Once she did, Link bashed the yellow question box and out popped a Maple Syrup.

"Maple Syrup?" Link asked.

"Yeah! It's much better than honey, and it replenishes ten FP instead of five! You should save it for when you need it though!" Bombette explained.

"Syrup…" gazed Link dreamily.

Bombette raised an eyebrow but followed behind Link as they fought their way down the bullet path. Mario and Kooper had to battle every other one, hitting one by dodging another. Link rolled under some while Bombette easily walked under the projectiles. Mario hopped over a few more with Kooper jumping around klutzily and failing miserably. Link was almost to the end until he tripped over Goombario.

"What the heck?" he growled.

"Trying to avoid!" Goombario replied. Link picked up the Goomba and tossed him into an oncoming Bill. "AVOID THAT!"

Link carefully stood back up without hitting a Bullet Bill, with some help from Bombette. Goombario came back shortly afterward with a Bullet Bill mark on his face. He stuck his tongue out at Link, stuck what was supposed to be his nose in the air, and hurried after Mario, who was way ahead of everyone. Mario finally came into sight of the cannons, but the Bros. were gone. The Blasters gave a mean-sounding puff, as if to indicate a challenge.

"Those jerks!" Bombette cried.

"How are we supposed to get by?" wondered Goombario, desperately trying to squeeze inbetween the cannons.

"There's no way past them. Let's get them Mario!" Kooper cried. Mario flicked the brim of his hat and grinned.

"All right! Battle!" cried Link.

"We're fighting them?" whined Goombario, pulling out his book again. "Okay…Bill Blasters won't attack us directly, but they'll keep shooting out Bullet Bills as long as they can. It's efficient to attack 'em all at once, but you can also beat 'em one at a time. HP four, attack zero, defense one…"

Mario began with a hammer whack, not doing much against the Blasters' high defense. Kooper used Power Shell to hit them all, Link performed Jab, but missed the action command. Either way, one Blaster fell. Bombette was confident she could kill one, until she remembered the Bill Blasters had a defense of one. Her Bomb attack only did three. The Blaster then launched a Bullet Bill. Mario changed places with Kooper to use another Power Shell. Link then gave him a Honey Syrup to gain more FP. After that, Mario swapped Kooper for Goombario who cried out in happiness. Link did another Jab, which made the second blaster fall. The Bullet Bill then targeted Goombario and blasted into him.

"THAT WAS A SETUP!" he shouted while Mario grinned sheepishly again. Before Goombario said any more words, Mario quickly brought Kooper back out.

"Now we'll SHELL those Koopa Bros.!" cheered Link. "Get it? Instead of show, I said-"

"We get it, Link," Goombario deadpanned.

Bombette, of course, was cracking up. She loved Link's jokes, if it wasn't obvious. Mario rummaged through his badges and found an HP Plus badge. He equipped it to have the same amount of HP as Link. Mario looked at his comrades, as if to ask if they were ready to take on the Koopa Bros.

"You'd better believe it!" Bombette cried.

"What she said!" Link yipped.

"Of course!" Kooper assured.

"Just get it over with…" mumbled Goombario.

Mario and Link pushed open the doors together and entered, expecting the unexpected. The area was a suspended hall hanging over a dark and seemingly never ending pitfall. Black Koopa entered the scene, semi-taken aback. He cried out.

"You guys ready?" he bellowed.

"I'm ready for revenge, if that's what you're asking!" Bombette growled.

Red suddenly trotted over.

"Hey Black! What are you doing? Hurry up! Shake a leg!" Red demanded. The two ran away.

"You're going to be DEAD MEAT!" Bombette roared.

"You seriously will not get away with this!" Link grunted.

"Calm down you two! I want revenge as much as the next guy but honestly!" Kooper scoffed.

Before anyone could reply, they heard the Koopa Bros. bickering.

"Ow! My shell! Get off!"

"Wait…Wait a minute…"

"WHOA!"

There was a rumble.

Mario: ?

"What are those idiots doing?" Kooper wondered.

"Beats me..." replied Link.

"Probably being even more dumb..."

"Oh, love the love of…what are you _doing_ Yellow! ? That doesn't look cool at all!"

"Ok hang on….okay! I'm ready Red!"

"Finally! Let's do this! Remember to look cool guys!"

"Yaaaaa!"

A horrible robotized mechanical Bowser rolled out. Kooper nearly gagged at the bad quality. It was so horrible it made Goombario cry. Mario burst out laughing.

"That looks nothing like him…" Link guffawed. "Why does he seem…_soft_?"

"I haven't even seen him once, but I know he doesn't have wheels…" Bombette acknowledged.

"Just adds to the Koopa Bros. Anti-Cool!" snickered Kooper.

Mario wiped a tear away from laughing so hard and told them to get their heads in the fight and focus. All immediately obeyed.

"Gah ha ha ha ha! I've been waiting for you Mario! Bwa ha ha har!" "Bowser" cackled.

Mario: You've gotta be kidding.

"The strongest! And the coolest! Behold the glory that is the Great Evil King Bowser! It's time for me to beat these foolish ideas out of you! Saving Peach, Zelda, and Amy? Please! Watch this and weep!"

It was all the heroes could do to keep from laughing. Link had to _hold_ his mouth shut with everyone staring at him.

"O-kay…this _thing _has ten HP, an attack of one, and a defense of one. Is this really Bowser...? But he looks kind of...lame. I mean, he's lame anyway, but...Does Bowser really look like this? I always imagined him looking, well, a_ lot_ scarier."

Mario started with a Power Jump, taking away three. Kooper tried to slam his shell but it didn't do much. The Bowser Machine started puffing smoke though. It rolled up and bonked Mario on the head with his "Fist".

"_Heh heh…Mario really thinks that were King Bowser!"_ a whisper emerged from the robot.

Mario: Not really.

"Yeah right! Bowser doesn't look like a toy!" Link hissed back silently.

Bombette denoted, taking away four, and Link jabbed to make sure the job was done.

"Oh no! That costume was perfect!" Red's voice cried from inside. "King Bowser loved it!"

Despite what he said, the costume still exploded, revealing a poster of Peach in the shell. Mario raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Did you seriously think we'd fall for that?" Bombette asked sarcastically.

"Don't get too cocky; there's always two parts to these types of battles…" Link explained.

The pieces toppled off the edge and the Koopa Bros. returned. Link and Bombette felt surges of anger wash over them while Mario and Kooper prepared to fight.

"Here comes the Koopa Bros.!" they chanted.

Red ordered them into a stack to attack. They piled up Green, Yellow, Black, and then Red on top. "Okay Mario! Have a taste of this!"

They all began to spin rapidly and whammed right into Link and Bombette, taking away four. This was a moment Link was sorry he ate all the mushrooms…

"The Koopa Bros. have formed a tall Koopa tower! I'm not sure about this... They do a spinning attack with the whole gang piled high atop one another. Hit 'em with a Hammer or something to make 'em unstable. After that, any attack should knock 'em down. If you use an explosion, you can make 'em fall down at once. If you flip 'em over, the battle will nearly be ours! Beat 'em one by one!" Goombario called.

"Bombette! You go first!" Link offered.

"YEAH!"

She ran up and exploded as hard as she could. The Koopa Tower fell immediately with all the turtles crying for their momma.

"Ha! Look at them squirm!" Link cackled while performing a slash.

Kooper used Power Shell to slam into them all. The Green Koopa wailed and was taken out of the fight.

"Yeah! How's that!" Kooper mocked.

"I...I just didn't eat breakfast today, okay? That's the only reason I didn't counter you!" Green whined back. Kooper tisked.

"Let's see…the Green one looked just like a normal Koopa Troopa," Goombario stated. "Anyway, Red Ninjakoopa is the leader, Black is pretty fashionable, and the Yellow one reminds me of curry. Isn't that a weird thing to say in the middle of a battle?"

"Yes, just get to the point!" Link sighed impatiently.

"Right, well, they all have five HP, an attack of one, and a defense of one. They may have a little bit of defense power, but you can turn them over by jumping on them, just like a normal Koopa Troopa. Let's flip them over quick! Otherwise, the Bros. may form a tower and do their famous spinning attack!"

Mario did a Power Jump on Yellow. The remaining three ninjas used their turn to stand up. Mario took another turn and bashed his hammer on Yellow. He collapsed.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Yellow complained.

"WHAT! You should have been Yellow! Now you're making me look bad!" Red roared.

"Er...you didn't hear that..."

Kooper did another Power Shell with what Mario had left of FP. The Koopa Bros. were so busy fighting they barely noticed it hit them until too late.

"Cheap shot!" Black huffed.

"At least we fight fair!" Red grunted.

"Quit telling lies! It's bad for the children!" Link ordered. The Koopas restacked and did another spin attack on Link and Bombette. This time though, it only did two. It was still enough to put her in danger. Link quickly swigged the Maple Syrup, since it was the only syrup left. They ran out of Honey Syrup quicky, considering Bombette used all of Link's FP to do Bomb.

"Go blast 'em Bombette!"

"'Course!"

She waddled over with her fuse lit, and then burst just enough to knock them all down on their backs again. Link congratulated her and slashed Black. No more Black.

"There go the Koopa Bros.!" Link teased. Red stood back up and clenched his fist, furious that his brothers were picked off one by one.

"I will not lose! I'm too cool for that!" he howled. "Get a taste of THIS!"

He pulled into his shell and spun right into both Link and Bombette- a move that was rare for Koopas to pull off. What was worse, his attack did two instead of just one. He cackled madly as he returned back to his spot, looking smug.

"Wha…what?" Bombette moaned, suddenly feeling dizzy. She fell as a sign she couldn't fight any longer. Link gasped when she landed on her face.

"NO!" he wailed. "Bombette! Get up! Please! You're tough! Please…"

Bombette made a gurgle noise, followed by a sigh of exhaustion. Link's fist clenched and he glared menacingly at Red.

"Link…she's only injured…" Kooper tried to assure.

"He's not even supposed to be able to do that!" gaped Goombario.

Red was gloating over his victory by breakdancing on the floor with his "defeated" brothers rapping completely off. Link checked to make sure he had two FP, and then took Mario's turn instead of Mario. He backed-up to get a running start, then leaped into the air.

"I'm SO going to own you, fool!" he boomed. Red was a bit shocked ( and froze in mid-floor spin) but didn't stay that way when Link shoved his sword into the jerk's stomach, then jabbed again immediately. Goombario gasped. He did his action command! The attack took a whopping six out of Red, despite the fact he only had one HP left. Link wanted to make sure he was sorry.

. . .

After the battle, all four Ninja Koopas plummeted off the edge, and into the cell where they once held Bombette. Mario smirked as he poked his head over the edge, discovering that the hole they escaped out of was fixed. Oh, the irony! The pieces of the Bowser costume were there too, as if to rub the Bros defeat in their faces.

"Wow…that could've gone a lot better," Link said as he picked up a still injured Bombette. While he did that, Mario noticed a white orb suddenly appear, transforming into a playing card.

"What's that?" asked Kooper.

Mario ran over to touch it and to see what would happen. A white light flashed and the card turned into a Star Spirit, Eldstar! Everyone gasped in union, not just at the fact that they were in the presence of a Star Spirit, but because of the realization that they saved the very first Star Spirit…

. . .

And so Mario and friends beat the Koopa Bros at their fortress and rescued the first Star Spirit. Still, six Star Spirits remained imprisoned, and they must save them as quick as they can. The future of the Mushroom Kingdom, Star Haven, and of course, Peach, Zelda, and Amy, lies in the hands of Mario…and his new friends.

Their adventure had just begun.


	12. A Girl's Place is her Diary

Paper Mario X

Chapter 11: A Girl's Place is Her Diary

Back at the castle in the sky, Peach, Zelda and Amy were bonding. Zelda and Amy had warmed up around Peach, trying to make amends for their previous behavior, with Amy having faster progress than Zelda.

"…and that's how he saved me from being stuck in a painting!" Peach finished off, scratching the back of her head. Amy gasped in awe as Zelda tried not to look interested.

"Wow, I don't even want to imagine what it's like to be stuck in a painting…and there was literally nothing you could do?" Amy asked. Peach reluctantly shook her head.

"Not a thing…it was so frightening…I had no idea if I would ever be free!" she continued, staring at the ground. "Thankfully, Bowser was defeated, and I was freed, and Mar…"

Then, Peach felt worried all of a sudden and began to pace right in the middle of the conversation, a fretful look taking over her complexion.

"Peach, are you okay?" Amy asked.

"I wonder what Mario is doing right now…I wonder if he's hurt…I'm so worried about him!" she moaned, pacing back and forth out of habit.

"I'm sure he's fine Peach. If he's as strong as you say…" Zelda assured, waving a hand over her shoulder.

"He'll be all right Princess," Twink added, having been listening to Peach's stories as well. "Why I bet he's saving some Star Spirits right now!"

"Yes…you're right Twink. I must be strong," Peach then clenched her fists and stood up. "I need to concentrate on finding a way out of here…"

"That's the spirit!" chimed Zelda, standing as well and joining Peach.

"But there are tons of guards just beyond your door!" Twink and Amy exclaimed at the same time.

"And it's impossible for you to escape through the window…" Twink finished, glancing at the hedgehog. Amy grinned sheepishly.

"That one's pretty obvious!" Zelda scoffed.

"Oh! Wait a minute!" Peach exclaimed. "I remember the minister telling me that there was a secret passage out of this room!"

"How convenient!" Amy squealed.

"Everyone! Help me look for it!" Peach ordered. Twink, Zelda, and Amy got right on it. Amy looked under the bed and felt the walls. Zelda checked though a rack of Peach's identical dresses with disgust, in a drawer (where she briefly powdered her face), and snickered at a photo of Mario. Twink quickly floated over and told her not to look at that. Zelda blushed. Peach was scurrying about so fast she toppled into Amy. Amy tried to grab something for support but ended up tugging on the end of Zelda's dress, causing her to trip. All three girls groaned.

"We're not looking hard enough…" Amy moaned.

"Peach is looking too hard!" Zelda snapped.

"Goodness! I'm sorry, okay. I got excited…" Peach grumbled.

"Well clearly we have no idea what we're doing…" muttered Amy, walking over to a vase of white roses. She searched them to see if the button was within, but had no luck. Therefore, she shrugged and sniffed each one, a smile growing on her face.

"Hey! You should name them after me!" she giggled, petting the white flowers next to Peach's bed.

"Maybe I will! Amy Roses…sounds pretty!" Peach chuckled, grabbing one and smelling it as well. They both laughed, only to be interrupted by Zelda snatching the flowers and placing them back where they belonged.

"Focus ladies!" Zelda commanded.

"Kill joy," Amy huffed as she folded her arms, walking away to search again.

Zelda watched her leave, then sighed and placed her hand on the wall beside the fireplace, only to hear a hollow sound. She threw a picture frame off the wall to find a button. She screamed with joy.

"You guys! I found it! Come look!" Zelda shrieked. Peach, Amy, and Twink rushed over.

"What are you waiting for? Push it!" Amy ordered.

Zelda put her hand against the red button and the fire went out, a wall moved out of the way, and there was now a passage into another room. The three girls all poked their heads in, gasping in surprise.

"Hard to believe I never knew about this…" Peach admitted, being the first to step in.

"I just wonder where it leads…" trailed Zelda.

It was a dark and creepy hallway, the only light belonging to the sconces that lined the walls. The floor had a black and white checkerboard pattern, and caused the girls' footsteps to echo in the darkness.

"Man, this is so unnerving…" Amy trailed, turning her head constantly as if something would jump out.

"It's not even that bad!" protested Twink, although he was sticking rather close to Peach.

"Quiet you guys! There's another passage!" Peach said, rushing over to another button on the wall. The wall and a certain section of the floor began to turn, causing everyone to yelp.

"Wait for us!" Zelda and Amy cried as they hopped to Peach's side at the last moment. They turned into a room with a book lying open on a table. The girls knew what that meant and laughed. Peach was the first to head over.

"It looks like someone left a private diary just lying around!" Twink exclaimed. The girls laughed even louder until Twink told them to hush.

"Let's read it!" Zelda cackled deviously, rubbing her hands together. Peach gave her a weird look as she picked up the book of secrets.

_"Today I went to Star Haven and stole the Star Rod. Now I'm invincible. Cool! I also captured those seven Star Spirits so they wouldn't annoy me anymore. It was a hard day's work and I'm feeling pretty bushed. Dinner was nice but a little bland."_

Twink gasped. "I feel like I know the person who wrote this…"

"We should read more!" Amy urged.

_"Today was great diary! I used my castle to lift Peach's way up into the sky. Then I barged into Peach's castle and beat up Mario! Unbelievable, I know. So fun! It was, until a bunch of other world dorks tried to stop me, but I whumped them too! Piece of cake, as one of them would have said. I wiped their memory of that entire hour and scattered them so they couldn't meet up with Mario. And there's more! After that, I kidnapped Princess Peach! I couldn't be happier diary! I hope she likes me…"_ It was Zelda and Amy's turn to gasp.

"Other world dorks?" Amy pondered.

"Link and Sonic! Kirby and Samus!" Zelda cried.

"So that's what happened to them! Bowser took their memory away and separated them!" Peach exclaimed.

"This is Bowser's Diary! Ugh!" Twink burst out. Amy and Zelda guffawed.

"We'd better read more! It could contain some more info about Mario or Kirby or a Star Spirit!" Peach said.

_"Well, the Koopa Bros. got beaten by Mario, diary. He even set free the stupid Star Sprit I kept there. I'm so mad I can barely write! "Oh! I'm Mario! I'm so big and strong and good and helpful…" I hate him! But I'm not worried…There's no way Mario can save the Star Sprit being held in Dry Dry Ruins. To do that, he'd have the find the mystery of the sand then Dry Dry Ruins in Dry Dry Desert. How would he even know to go to the desert anyway? I believe that's also where Kirby ended up…along with Sonic passing through after he escaped the Koopa Bros. But they're probably dying of thirst or something so I'm not worried at all. In fact, I'm so calm, I'm going to go to bed now."_

"What!" Zelda and Amy cried. "Kirby's there?" "Sonic passed through?"

"Twink, can you go to Mario and tell him that?" Peach nearly slurred, her heart racing rather fast at the discovery of the sudden news.

"Yes, of course Princess Peach! I'll find Mario right away…" Twink promised.

"Wait…didn't Bowser say he was going to bed?" Amy wondered cautiously.

GASP.

Bowser entered the door as if on cue, evil and mean as ever.

"Oh no! I can't believe I left my secret diary lying out!" he cried. Amy and Zelda held in their snickers. "It would be _so_ embarrassing if somebody read that thing…"

Bowser stomped over to close his diary. Twink hid behind the chair as Zelda and Amy ran behind the changing screen (or whatever it's called). Peach looked around for a hiding place but it was too late for her. Bowser jumped ten feet into the air.

"Whuh…Wha…Whaaaaaat! What's the princess doing here?" Bowser howled. "AHHH! You little sneak! You read my diary!"

Zelda popped out. "No we didn't! Sure, we were_ about_ to, but you barged in and we decided not to," she lied.

"Cut us some slack! We're telling the truth! We also just ratted ourselves out!" Amy added.

The Koopatrol guards quickly thundered in at the sound of Bowser's distress.

"King Bowser? Is there a problem?" the first asked.

"You're the worst guards ever! Take Princess Peach back to her room! Immediately!" demanded Bowser.

"Yes sir! Straight away! Forgive us, sir!" the second babbled.

They wandered over and lifted Peach up. Zelda and Amy ran out of the room before they could grab them. Unfortunately, a few guards outside caught them and threw them all back in the room, quite rudely.

"Is that how you treat a princess or two?" Zelda shouted at them while waving a fist. They just rolled their eyes and slammed the door shut behind them.

"I'm gonna need hip surgery…" Amy moaned.

Peach dusted herself off. "At least Mario will get that information that we found."

Zelda smiled. "Yep. Good job Peach!"

"Yeah, but if you guys didn't cover for me, we'd probably be in bigger trouble!"

The girls wrapped together in another hug. It lasted longer than the first time until Amy broke the peace.

"Speaking of info, what do you think happened to Sonic?" she wondered worriedly.

"Oh gosh, I don't know! What could've happened to poor Kirby?" Zelda sniffed.

"Maybe we should read some more of Bowser's _**diary**_!" Peach cried. The girls all fell into a fit of laughter.

"Wimpy Bowser has a diary!"

"I bet it's full of girly secrets!"

"I still can't believe that he even has one!"

The girls continued to laugh until the guards started banging on the door- that being their warning to settle down. They all said goodnight, crawled over to where each slept separately, and scribbled about the day in their own diaries…


	13. All Aboard the Choo Choo Train!

Paper Mario X

Chapter 12: All Aboard the Choo Choo Train!

Mario, Kooper, Goombario, and Link still holding Bombette were outside the Fortress talking to Eldstar.

"Mario, I believe you'll save us all…" Eldstar began. "From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate all you've done. Thank you. Since you have freed me from my prison, the seal on my power is broken, and I will recover it little by little. As long as an ounce of power remains in me, I shall help you."

Eldstar then gave Mario the ability to use Star Powers and Star energy. Mario didn't want to listen to him rant though; he could figure it out naturally.

"Mario…listen carefully. You must save the other Star Spirits quickly! If the seven of us come together, we'll be able to bestow upon you a power called the Star Beam. The Star Beam is the only thing that can counteract the Star Rod that Bowser now wields. I have to go back now…back to Star Haven…I must leave immediately, but I'll always be watching you! Save us all, Mario!"

And with that, the eldest of the Star Spirits made his ascent back up to Star Haven, leaving the group with no clue on what they were supposed to do next.

"He couldn't help us heal Bombette?" Link asked angrily, Bombette breathing heavily in his arms.

"Don't worry. We can use Mario's new Star Power when we get in a battle!" Kooper assured. Link nodded, hoping that it would be enough to work.

. . .

As they were almost back on the other side of Pleasant Path, on their way back to Toad Town to look for clues, someone in a bush started to have a chat with them.

"Hold it right there Mario! I've been waiting for you!" it called. Link's head jerked up. He recognized that voice…The bushes briefly shook, and Jr. Troopa appeared. Link let out a cry of surprise, making Bombette moan.

"It's the playground bully…" he gaped.

"I told you I'd be back! Now to get my revenge! Here it comes baby! Check this out!" Jr. Troopa ran, then slipped on the ground and fell into the water nearby. He climbed back up the side, clearly even more infuriated. "Mario! I'm talking to you! I promise you, this fight will be much different than before!"

"Who is this crazed guy? What a nut…" Kooper scoffed.

"Shut up!" Jr. roared. "I'll make sure your bomb friend there gets a hefty beating!" Link gave a dark look to Jr., yet his grip on Bombette seemed to grow more.

"My name is Jr. Troopa! Remember me and tremble! After this beating you'll definitely remember it!"

"Yeah, tremble before the cracked egg…" Goombario said while rolling his eyes, and Link had to give him credit for that one.

Once the battle started, Jr. explained he had a new move up his sleeve. All he did was hide in his shell, which the group discovered they underestimated when they found out everyone's attacks were useless.

"What was his name? Jr. Troopa? I don't remember exactly..." Goombario began.

"I JUST SAID MY NAME WAS-"

" ...Just joking, kid! He looks so adorable hiding in his egg, doesn't he? So cute! It should be a snap to beat him now. ...I think. His HP has grown to fifteen, his attack is now two, and while he's in that shell, his defense is one."

Mario did, however start with his new Refresh move to give the team some strength after taking care of the Koopa Bros. He called upon Eldstar's power, which was just enough to heal the entire group, including their injured member. Bombette finally sat up in Link's arms, and smiled.

"Urgh…I was out for a while…are we in a battle?" she asked.

"Yeah, against one of my old foes I met awhile back. Going to help me take out the trash?"

"You bet!"

"Just take it easy…"

Bombette nodded and the pals turned their attention to the fight. Jr. was still in his stupid egg. Kooper and Link's attacks were useless against the egg. Bombette though, used her Bomb move to give that egg a little brain. Jr. popped out for a brief moment, but quickly ducked back in his shell. Mario whacked Jr. with his hammer, now that he was more vulnerable, followed by Kooper slammed into Jr. with his own shell. Link used jab to get a good 5 out of him with the action command and Bombette performed Bomb again.

"Hmph, he's not even going to attack," Bombette smirked, watching as Jr. simply stood his ground as the team slowly eroded his HP away. "What's the matter? Afraid of my Bomb? We'll I've got more coming!"

"We have to be careful Bombette. If we use too many of our FP moves we'll run out," Link explained.

"All right!"

Mario used a Power Jump, leaving Jr. at two. This was too easy! Kooper used shell toss, but he missed his action command and did nothing. Jr. laughed and jumped on Mario. Mario yawned and used another Power Jump to finish Jr. off.

"Aaaaaaaah!" he wailed, falling forward. He now lay on the ground with swirly eyes, now not able to prevent the gang from continuing for Toad Town.

"Something tells me he's a few screws short of a ball, if you know what I mean," Link stated, mocking the Koopa sprawled on the path. Bombette laughed. Link smiled, and then scratched his head. They talked on the way to the town of toads.

"Bombette…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I put you first so many times! It made you vulnerable and Red Koopa really struck you…that's my fault."

Bombette sighed with a tiny smile. "It's not your fault Link! You were doing what was best for us!"

"Yeah, but it got you hurt. Seeing you like that was really hard for me…"

"Well then, I'm sorry for making you feel that way. Therefore, we both have something to be sorry about!"

Link's frown transformed into a grin. "Clever!" They then chatted about more positive things while Mario walked in silence. Why was he so quiet all the time? Even he didn't know. However, he preferred being silent- it gave him more time to just watch, and appreciate the little things, like how Link and Bombette were really getting along.

. . .

The moment the gang stepped foot into Toad Town, there was a sudden cry.

"MARIO!" a voice cried.

"Apparently we can't enter Toad Town without someone beckoning to Mario," Link sighed as Twink appeared, apparently full of news.

"Mario! Link! It's me, Twink! Remember me?" he asked. Mario and Link nodded. "I heard you saved the honorable Star Spirit that was captured by the Koopa Bros. Bowser and his gang are so angry about it! I knew you could do it Mario! You're on your way…But enough celebration for now. I come bearing important information for you."

"This should be interesting…" Link murmured seriously.

"It seems one of the Star Spirits is being held captive somewhere in Dry Dry Desert. Bowser wrote it in his diary…" Link, Bombette, Kooper, and Goombario doubled over laughing hysterically. Twink giggled, then continued.

"…some place called Dry Dry Ruins. The princesses and the hedgehog braved the dangers of the castle to get this information for you guys!"

"Way to go Zelda!" Link cheered.

"Who's Zelda?" Bombette asked.

"She's the princess of the world I live in. I usually save her, but she helps me from time to time…" explained Link.

"She sounds like a good person," Bombette said with a smile. "I'd like to meet her!"

"If we ever save her, then I'll make sure of that!"

"If we find anything else, I'll hurry back to tell you," Twink finished. "I have to go to her Highness now. She's…no, they're all so brave! I hope this news helps!"

With that, Twink flew away, back to the company of the kidnapped girls.

"Of course that helped! He told us where to go next!' Link cried. Twink then came back in a huff.

"I forgot another important thing! Kirby is said to be in Dry Dry Desert, possibly very dehydrated! Rumors are Sonic passed by there too! It also turns out the reason you're all separated is because Bowser wiped your memory of meeting Mario and scattered you!" Twink huffed.

"You serious? We'd better go now before we miss Sonic again or Kirby dies of thirst! Or worse…" Link stated. Then he realized. "Ow! Hey…I remember now! He DID do that! Oh…man, memories hurt! He took our memory of Mario and that fight away so we couldn't find you when he kicked us out of the castle! And that's why we couldn't find Zelda or Amy at the party- they were already kidnapped! Thanks, Twink!"

"Anytime! See you next time!" Twink flew away for real this time.

"Hear that Mario? Sounds like two of your pals are there!" Kooper said. Mario nodded.

"We need to help them gain their memories back!" Link exclaimed, rubbing his head.

Before they shoved off, Mario went to the Toad Town shop to get everybody some supplies. He bought a good stock of mushrooms and was about to let Link hold them, until Link said it was better if Mario held onto them. Mario shrugged and gave Link the Honey Syrups instead. The syrup Link could deal with. Bombette wanted a Fire Flower and Link begged Mario to get one. The red capped man sighed and placed another amount of coins on the counter. Bombette cheered when Link handed her the flower.

"Glad that's over. Now how do we get to Dry Dry Desert?" Goombario asked.

"Let's explore Town a bit. Maybe we'll find a way!" Kooper replied.

Mario agreed with that, and started to head south. There was another shop that held a great delicacy- Super Shrooms. Link immediately sold all his mushrooms to buy a round of Super Shrooms. He then managed to sneak one to sample it, and when he took a bite, he thought had just won the lottery.

"I told you they're my favorite…" Goombario snickered.

"After tasting this, I'm _never_ going back to Mushrooms unless necessary! It's so _**SUPER**_!" Link swore. As Link marveled over the awesome taste and power of the Super Shroom, Mario was talking to a Bub-ulber, who told Mario he came from Flower Fields. After a round of explaining a few things, he gave Mario a pink seed, which he was simply supposed to plant in the Toad Town garden.

Though Mario sensed there was more to the seed than just that…

. . .

Heading to the south of Toad Town, Mario told the group that if they wanted to figure out how to get somewhere, that was their place of interest. A port was located there, and visitors came and went from that very spot every day. Ships came and went at the docks, but the group was interested in something else at the moment…

A train was parked in the station, with everyone but Mario admiring the sight. Mario had seen the train so many times before, but he never actually knew where it went…but he had a good feeling about it, so it was worth a try. However, when he talked to the conductor, he found out that something was wrong.

The conductor was complaining about a rock in the track, effecting in the train unable to move. It landed there when Peach's Castle was uprooted.

"I can't make my run to Mt. Rugged!"

"No! We need to get there, pronto!" Kooper yelped.

Link took a look at the rock resting in the middle of the tracks and found a crack in it. He smiled slyly.

"Show him what you can do, Bombette!" he requested.

"With pleasure!"

Link set Bombette in front of the rock with her fuse alit. She exploded and the rock blasted to bits. The friends winked at each other while the surrounding Toads cheered.

"Oh thank you Link! The train's back on track!" the conductor bellowed. Link and Bombette laughed at the pun. "All aboard! This train is headed for Mt. Rugged!"

"Well, let's climb in!" Kooper said.

"Yeah, Mt. Rugged probably leads to Dry Dry Desert!" Link exclaimed. "Besides, there's nowhere else to go…"

Mario told the Toad they were riding and they all climbed in. They were all squished, along with Link's cry of "Where's the room in this room?" To make more space, he stuck Bombette under his cap and squished Goombario on the side of the wall. Mario and Kooper then slid next to him. Goombario gasped for air.

"I'm going to die from lack of oxygen!" he wailed.

"Be quiet. This is for the common good!" replied Link. Bombette shifted under his hat.

"How OLD is this thing?" she asked. "It smells like it's been on fifteen old, sweaty heads!"

"Um…maybe a thousand years, maybe more…"

Bombette gagged; Link took her out and set her on his lap instead.

"Happy now?"

"Yep!"

Goombario tried to groan, but his sound was muffled. With the engineer calling out to sit tight, they gang headed off on their next mission…and their next Star Spirit. What challenges, mysteries, and surprises waited for them? There was only one way to find out…


	14. A Mountain of a Time

Paper Mario X

Chapter 13: A Mountain of a Time

The party chugged along, all of them getting anxious to get off the cramped train. Goombario occasionally tried to squirm around to get some air, but Link adjusted himself as well and Goombario was stuck again.

"This is so not fair…" the Goomba groaned.

"It's for the best, we had to make room…" the swordsman retorted. Bombette used Link's knee to look out the window. While they were examining the scenery, Kooper turned to Mario.

"Do you think we're going the right way?" he asked. Mario responded with a nod. "Good. I kinda hope we'll see Kolorado…the last time I saw him, he was getting ready to do a desert expedition."

"Are we there yet?" whined Goombario.

"No! Just shut up until I stand up, and you'll know we're there!"

"There's just one little problem- I CAN'T BREATHE!"

"Oh wah."

Goombario would have grunted, but he couldn't, of course. Kooper started to get hot, and he fell into an gasping episode on Mario. Mario retorted in surprise, accidentally smacking Link in the face. Link's leg jolted up from the shock making Bombette nearly fly out the window. He reached out to grab her, giving Goombario a brief moment of air until Mario pushed Kooper onto the Goomba, causing more suffocation.

"I'm bored!"

"Are we there yet?"

"I'm getting claustrophobic! Oh no…passing out!"

"Oh, with the drama Kooper! Move so I can sit on Goombario!"

"NO! Be a pal Kooper…even though you _replaced_ me!"

Mario: Chill out!

"Mario talked!"

"We all can see that Bombrat!"

"You wanna go, you edible nuisance! ?"

"GIVE IT YOUR ALL BOMBETTE! YOU TELL THAT FUNGUS!"

"BOOM!"

"MY FACE!"

There was an explosion in the backseat. Goombario's face was near blasted off, Kooper was having a seizure, Bombette was twitching in anger, Link was cheering, and Mario was getting ready to have a moment.

Mario: Who's idea was this? !

"Uh, yours…"

"Wah…" was all Kooper moaned before he fainted.

"Attention passengers. We are arriving at our destination!"

Everyone immediately sat down and was silent. Kooper was perfectly fine, Bombette sat dignified, Link patted Goombario and Goombario smiled, and Mario couldn't believe how fast everyone had pulled themselves together! Once the train stopped at the station, the gang burst out the moment the door opened. Goombario was so airless he tripped while getting off and wheezing at the same time.

"_Worst moments of my life_…" Goombario grunted.

Mario quickly led his gang away from the train, hoping that it would be quite a while before they had to get on it again. The Toad waiting there told them they could get to Dry Dry Desert by going through Mt. Rugged.

"That's good…" Kooper sighed, relieved.

"Let's head up!" Link urged. He held his sword high in the air, ready to locate the next Star Spirit. Mario smiled at his eagerness and lead the way.

. . .

They had hardly made a dent in their hike when another familiar voice was heard.

"Ah…no…Confound it! Where could it be…?" it asked. Mario recognized it and quickly turned around to look for the voice, only to have Parakarry bump into him from behind. They crashed and both men were knocked down.

"Oh! Sorry folks! So very sorry! I was looking for something and not watching where I was going…" he explained. "Aren't you Mario? Why, you are. You're **THE** Mario! Hello there!"

"Sure is! And I'm **THE** Link!" Link added, refusing to be ignored.

"The name's Parakarry. I deliver letters. Um…I'm normally a letter-perfect postman, but I'm having a bit of trouble with a lost letter. Wouldn't you know it-I dropped it on Mount Rugged and now I can't find it. If you happen to stumble upon a letter around here, please tell me all right?"

"Sure!" Kooper told him.

"My job will depend on it!"

Mario and the group headed into the next area. Link spotted a slide with coins on it, and he and Bombette slid down immediately. They ended in a heap on the ground, but had fun nevertheless. Goombario told them to quit playing around and they pouted. When they came back up, a mole popped out of the ground.

"Finally! A fight!" Link exclaimed. He then look at Bombette and softened up a bit.

"And this creature is…a Monty Mole " Goombario read. "Monty Moles are rock-throwing moles, big time mischief-makers. Ugh. They have kind of scary looking faces. They're pretty weak, though. Maybe they wear sunglasses because they have really sensitive eyes. Or maybe they're just hip."

"Koopa Troopas had sunglasses, and they certainly we're not hip," Bombette scoffed.

"Whatever, they have three HP, an attack of two, and no defense. Go crazy."

Mario and Kooper started off with Mario bonking it on the head with his hammer, then Kooper tossing his shell. The first mole was knocked out on the spot. The second mole threw a rock at Mario, doing two to him. Link let Bombette go first and she detonated next to the mole, blowing it to bits. Once the moles were defeated, they headed down into a hidden area where there was a block. Mario broke it with his hammer and a Whacka appeared.

"AW! It's so cute!" Bombette gushed.

"Whack it, Mario! It'll release a Whacka Bump! That's another tasty treat!" Goombario explained.

"Tasty treat? I'm in!" Link cried, dashing over to the blue mole, sword ready for a bashing. He stopped dead in his tracks when Bombette yelled,

"Don't hurt it! If you bonk it too much, it'll die!" Bombette sobbed.

"But Whacka Bumps are sooooo tasty!" Goombario protested.

"You heartless jerk!" Bombette snapped, shoving Goombario. "How can you say such a thing? What if we whacked you just because your pain tasted good?"

"That sounds really weird…" Koopa trailed nervous, only to shut his mouth when Bombette gave him a testy look.

"I'll only hit it once, and I gotta have a taste!" Link moaned.

"Just. Once." responded Bombette coldly.

Link cheered, whacked it with his sword, picked up the bump, and had a hearty bite out of it. It definitely beat the Super Shroom! As he gave Bombette a bite, he wanted more…

"No more Link! You promised!" she growled.

"Okay, okay…" a disappointed Link sighed.

"Come on! No more dawdling!" Kooper said. The group unanimously agreed and went back to the main path, in pursuit of a letter also. In the next part of the mountain, Kooper spotted the letter on a ledge. Mario climbed on a ledge parallel to it, shot Kooper over, and snagged the letter. He then continued forward, thinking about how to get the badge way over on the far left…Mario would have to come back later. Instead, he'd have to focus on the Clefts he just ran into.

"Okay now, Clefts, Clefts…" Goombario rambled, flipping rapidly through the pages. "Cleft. Clefts are pretty strong, so you'd better be careful. Their specialty is pretending to be rocks, so watch your step on the mountain. You'll get hurt if you jump on the spikes on their heads. You know, there's courage in running away sometimes...its HP, attack, and defense are all two…"

"Let us go first Mario!" Link begged. Mario let them, and Link started off with a slash that did nothing.

"Dang."

Bombette waddled smugly over and pulled out the Thunder Bolt, getting a good amount of damage dealt to the Cleft. It died on the spot as the duo exchanged a high five. While dancing around, the two noticed everyone had run on ahead. They then followed their friends up the mountain.

"You guys are so mean!" Bombette called.

By the time the two caught up with their gang, they had already navigated a difficult path and found a letter to Kolorado!

"The nerve of some people!" Link growled.

"You're too slow!" Goombario mocked. Link glared at him and sent Bombette on an exploding montage. Goombario ran away screaming like a girl while Bombette was blasting him to a pulp. Mario whammed his hammer into the ground to get them to stop and pointed forward. The three muttered something and tagged along. They came to another slide that Link, Bombette, and Kooper happily slid down, and ended up back in the area of where Link and Bombette were ditched. Mario led them back where the fork was and this time, they went right. They ran right off the side of a cliff where a bridge was out. Kooper found another letter. Link groaned very loudly when he found out it was for Goompapa back at the Goomba Village.

"So many painful memories…" he recalled.

Mario and co. bounced on the spring to get back up. Since they hit a dead end, they decided to give the letters they found back to Parakarry. On the way there, they had to deal with mobs of Monty Moles and Clefts, causing Mario and Link to gain some much needed fighting experience.

"_**GUYS!**_ Parakarry ahead!" Kooper shouted, indicating that they were back at the confused mailman. Parakarry _was_ ahead, still floating around not even trying to find his letters.

"What a potato!" Link exclaimed quietly. "No! I got it! He's like a bag of mail he's so lazy!"

Goombario, Kooper, and Mario moaned like cows again while Link and Bombette cracked up. Parakarry heard their noises and turned around. Mario handed all three letters to the Parakoopa.

"Now I've got all the letters I've lost…today. Oh, thank you so much! You're a life saver! I wish there was some way I could repay you for your help…" Parakarry explained. "Actually, to be honest…I haven't lost letters on just Mt. Rugged. I may have sort of dropped some all over the Mushroom Kingdom while I was flying. Heh heh…yeah. You're good at finding letters. Do you think you could keep an eye out during your travels. In return, I'll offer you whatever help I can…"

"Here we go again, just join us already!" Goombario shouted.

Parakarry cheered and thanked Mario about a thousand times. Goombario grumbled again.

"You shall not regret this!" Parakarry exclaimed.

"Oh no! That's what Goombario said, and look where we've been!" Link guffawed, indicating a flashback-

"NO! No, do NOT go there!" Goombario screamed.

"You two have some issues…" Parakarry exclaimed.

"It's not my fault he's so impossible!" Link cried.

"Well, anyway, I can carry you over shorts gaps if you need me to…" Parakarry told them, trying to get back on track.

"That's perfect! There was a bridge out way over there and we need some help crossing!" Kooper realized.

"Let's get cracking, shall we?"

Mario agreed instantly and he, Kooper, and Parakarry hurried off. Link, Bombette, and Goombario realized they left and sped after them to the bridge out.

**Place Where the Bridge is Out-**

"This was hindering you guys?" Parakarry chuckled. "I'll have you guys over this gap in no time!"

One by one, and starting with Mario, Parakarry flew everyone over the gap, safely bringing them to the other side. Once all five of them were over, Parakarry sunk to the ground and started panting.

"Whew…you guys are heavy!" he mumbled.

"Hey! That was your idea. Besides, Link's weight is in muscle!" Bombette giggled, cuing Link to strike a pose. They turned and crossed the bridge that wasn't out, but before they made it any farther, a bird suddenly stopped them.

"Hey there! Hold up a second parder!" it said. "Jest a dern minute. I've seen you somewhere…"

"Work on your vocab dude!" Link called out. The bird pulled out a poster and took a look at it.

"Yep, very similar! You look a lot like this feller Mario who's on Bowser's wanted poster…Now give! What's yer name?"

"He's Luigi, sir!" a squeaky voice shouted. The gang looked past to see a little pink ball bounce over to them. Link gasped, as he recognized the pink puff.

"KIRBY! ?"

"HIIIIIIII!"


	15. Kirby and the Rock Paper Scissors Tourny

Paper Mario X

Chapter 14: Kirby and the Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament

"Are you insane, Big Bird? You can tell by the mustache, the hat…the overalls! He's the famed **Luigi**!" Kirby explained.

"No he's not! That's _Mario_!" Goombario called. "I would know- I'm his number one fan!"

"YOU FOOL!" Link cried as Mario's hand made contact with his face. Kirby facepalmed as well, then told everyone to get ready to fight.

"Buzzar is tough, friends! He's all the way up to forty HP!" Kirby explained.

"Whoa…haven't fought anything that tough before!" exclaimed a shocked Kooper.

"Hmph, I could have told you that," huffed Goombario, reading out of his book again. "He guards Mt. Rugged. Wow! That's one big bird! If you get caught in the clutches of his sharp claws, you'll lose four HP! Try to wriggle out of his grip. His special attack is flapping his wings to create wind. This attack damages your party members, too. But he was hatching eggs, wasn't he? Is it possible that he's really a she? I wonder..."

"Don't worry! I'll help ya!" Kirby assured. The gang got into their battle positions: Mario and Parakarry first, then Link and Bombette, followed by Kooper and briefly Kirby. Mario started with a Power Jump, taking away three, followed by Parakarry using his FP move to do 5. Buzzar then performed Claw Grab on Mario. Mario was squeezed and had four taken away from him. Link and Bombette were in a bit of a pickle. They were the strongest but couldn't do any damage to flying enemies. The Green Hero smirked, thinking up an idea, then threw Bombette into Buzzar, doing a mid-air body slam of three damage. There was nothing Link could do. Buzzar then went to grab Bombette, but Link dove in front of her and took the damage.

"Thank you Link!" she gasped.

"Anytime…I'd hate to see you injured again…"

"I bet you wouldn't do it for me!" Goombario scoffed.

"No I would not…"

Kooper was useless too, so it was up to Kirby to dish out some damage. He sprung into the air and sliced down with his Final Cutter, taking away a grand five HP. Buzzar was down to twenty-four! He was still strong though. He used Foot Tackle on Kooper, and Kirby made a note to swap out for Goombario. At least he could use Head Bonk. Mario was up again and served another helping of Power Jump. Parakarry did a confident Sky Dive. Buzzar made a Wind Whoosh, doing a significant amount of pain to Mario and Parakarry. Link tossed Bombette up again, and then used her Fire Flower. Buzzar let out a caw before striking with Feather Spears. Kooper swapped for Goombario, wasting a turn as Kirby used his Final Cutter again.

"He's almost down!" Kirby cried, countering a Foot Tackle with his hammer. "Right back at cha!"

Buzzar only had six now, so Mario cleaned up with yet another Power Bounce and Parakarry with Shell Shot. Buzzar was finished.

"Yow! I got whupped!" Buzzar bellowed.

"Quit torturing people then!" Kirby snapped, folding his arms intimidatingly.

"I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO FIGHT!" whined Goombario.

When Buzzar went away, Link turned to Kirby.

"Kirby! I'm so glad you're okay! How did you get here?" Link asked.

"I don't know. Kolorado found me in the middle of the desert, shriveled, thirsty and hungry, and took me back to his site. I got bored though and came out here to help some of his crew get past Buzzar. It's about time someone taught him a lesson!" Kirby explained while punching into his hand.

"KOLORADO IS HERE?" Kooper shrieked.

"Well, Kirby… It turns out, Bowser took away our memory and scattered us across the Mushroom Kingdom so we couldn't meet up with Mario there. Do you remember now?"

"OUCH! Hey…It's all coming back!" he turned to Mario. "I remember you now! What's up Mario?"

"Yeah! If you're reminded of what you forgot, you instantly remember it!"

Kirby cheered and danced around. That's when Bombette remembered something of her own.

"Kirby! Is Sonic here?" she asked.

Kirby stopped dancing to sigh. "He _was_. As Kolorado and his gang were leading me back to the site, after this weird plant thing gave me a blue seed, Sonic raced by without even noticing me. We turned around to look at him, only to see him struggling to keep going. He disappeared over the horizon. Kolorado said he probably would dehydrate from the heat, lack of water, and running…"

Link kicked the sand and roared. "We missed him again! Man, why does he have to keep moving so much?"

Kirby waddled over and tried to comfort Link. "We know Sonic: he doesn't stay in one place for long! He's probably out of the desert by now!"

"You're right…but I can't help but worry…"

"Hey! I'll help you guys find him! But right now, we should head to the site!" Kirby exclaimed. Mario smiled. Another other world friend had joined the team.

_Kirby:  
HP: 10  
FP: 10  
Moves: Hammer Smash (2 damage)  
Final Cutter (3 FP, 5 damage)  
Swallow (4 FP, no damage)  
Special Ability: Able to swallow anybody or anything and copy their abilities_

"Let's go! It's around the curb over here…" Kirby led.

They now expanded party shrugged and followed the pink orb, but not before Kirby swapped Goombario and Kooper.

"Hey! What was that for?" Goombario whined.

"If you would've kept quiet and stuck with Mario being Luigi, Buzzar would've let us by without a fight!" Kirby shouted. "This is your punishment!"

Kirby forced his new friends down the twisty path, skipping and singing "she'll be coming round the Mountain" the whole way. Everyone but Mario and Goombario sang along for obvious reasons. He brought them to a "site" which was a blue tent with three Koopas. Kirby saw Kolorado and waved.

"Hi Kolorado! I found some fresh faces!" He explained.

"Why it seems you have! Smashing!" Kolorado replied.

Bombette took a look at Kolorado and nudged Link's leg.

"Is that mustache _real?"_

"Hm…doesn't look like it! I think it's just taped on! Look at it hang…"

"It is too real!" Kooper interrupted, busy admiring his idol standing before them.

Mario took over as leader and led his group over to the archeologist.

"Well hello there old boy! How goes the travels eh?" Kolorado chuckled.

"I like his accent…" Kirby giggled.

"I'm known as Kolorado. I'm an archaeologist, you know. I travel the world. At the moment I'm tearing Dry Dry Desert upside down trying to find the Dry Dry Ruins. My assistants have attempted to gather information in Dry Dry Outpost, which is near here. Sadly, as of yet, we're having little success. All I need's a clue and we'll be golden!"

"Eee! Kolorado! I'm Kooper! I live next door to you! I can't believe I'm seeing you on an expedition! I'm in the middle of an expedition with Mario! I wanna be an archeologist just like you!" Kooper exclaimed in a mad frantic slur of words. Kolorado just chuckled.

"Hello there, Kooper! It's been ages! If you're serious about taking up archeology, you and I should go exploring one day! Anytime, really!"

"How about now? ! NOW?" Kooper laughed ecstatically.

Mario: What!

"…for now, maybe you should concentrate on your adventure with Mario," Kolorado replied. "You'll never attain such fame in archeology as I have if you don't finish one task before starting the next!"

"Okay! That works too, Kolorado!"

"You're Kolorado, correct?" Parakarry asked, floating forward. "The name's Parakarry. I deliver letters. I believe I have one for you. Hang on a moment…"

Parakarry rummaged around in his bag to locate Kolorado's letter. He retrieved it and handed it to him.

"Another letter, duly delivered. A postman's job is never done," Parakarry sighed.

"Oh good show! It's a letter from my wife. Thank you ever so, old chap. This just what I needed to give me strength to go on…I know! I'll pass this along as a spot of thanks! I came across it while I was immersed in the dig around here."

Kolorado handed Mario a Star Piece. Mario thanked him for his "spot of thanks" and him and his pals left to explore the first area of the Dry Dry Desert. There were medium-sized footprints running in a straight line.

"That's where Sonic headed. If we keep going straight, we'll hit Dry Dry Outpost where he went."

"If he's still there…" Link muttered.

"If we go up three and right two we'll reach where the ruins are said to be located, but there's nothing there... Where do you want to go first?" Kirby wondered.

"Jeez Kirby! How would you know all that?" Kooper asked. Kirby's eyes darted back and forth as he put on a sly smile.

"I know we're probably anxious to head for the Ruins, but maybe we should check out the Outpost first…" Bombette suggested.

"Or we could explore some of the desert and locate some treasures!" Goombario added.

As they were discussing over what to do first, a bandit ran up and took 10 coins from Mario. Kirby wasn't about to let him get away with that. He swung around with his hammer, beating the Bandit in one hit. Kirby laughed and handed Mario his ten coins back. Mario nodded for a thank you and sat down to decide what to do.

"Let's play Rock Paper Scissors! Kooper can be Dry Dry Outpost, Kirby will be the Ruins, Mario will be for whatever he wants to do, and Goombario can be for us exploring!" Bombette put in. "I can't do it because I don't have an arm…or a fist…"

"But neither does Goombario…" Kooper pointed out, though no one seemed to hear him.

"Good idea! I'll be up for turning around and going back!" Link cried. The other four and Link got together and placed their fists in the middle.

"Rock…paper…scissors!" Kooper cried. By some strange twist of fate, Goombario almost beat Link with scissors, but Link changed it to dynamite at the last moment.

"Cheater! I so had you!" Goombario cried.

"I hate to "hand" it to you, but you don't exactly have a hand handy right now!" Link retorted, and then went into hysterics. Bombette and Kirby chimed in.

"Okay, since Goombario can't 'hand'le it, I'll fill in since I'm close at hand!" Link snickered. He, Bombette and Kirby laughed even harder.

"Our laughter is getting out of hand!" Kirby spat between chuckles.

"Hands off people!" Kooper added, only to get a smack upside the head from Parakarry.

"Eh, Goombario's in good hands!" Bombette chortled.

"Dear lord, KNOCK IT OFF!" Goombario roared.

"All right…I'll give you a hand! ha ha! Goombario, I'll take your spot. Parakarry, you take mine," Link ordered.

Said people did so and the five tried again.

"Rock…paper…scissors!" Parakarry said this time. Mario, Link, Kirby, and Kooper did rock while Parakarry did scissors. "Drat."

"That's means we're not turning around and going back…"

"Once…twice…shoot!" Kirby yelped. Kirby, Kooper, and Link did Paper while Mario did rock again. Mario scowled as the other three went head to head. In the next round, Kirby was rock, Kooper was paper, and Link was scissors, which made no one win. Another shot resulted in Kirby using scissors (sort of) and the other two using rock.

"I knew scissors was jinxed!" Kirby pouted as he sat out. It was Link against Kooper for all the marbles. Would they explore or head to the outpost? They went once…twice…and before either could make a move Kirby interrupted.

"Wait a minute! Couldn't we explore while heading to Dry Dry Outpost? It would be killing two Buzzars with one stone!" Kirby cried. Link and Bombette had to laugh at that.

"Great! Another jokester…" Goombario grunted.

Kirby glared at him. "Well, are we up for it?"

Mario gave thumbs up with everyone else agreeing.

"Don't worry! I know a few spots we need to hit for sure!" Kirby assured. "There's an oasis down in the southeast corner of the desert. We can gather some supplies and there'll be a special surprise…" He pointed forward and headed off. The rest of the gang made a strange noise and trotted after him. Mario watched him trot away- Kirby certainly was a curious sort of person, wasn't he?

"You'll get used to him..." Link assured. Mario hoped he was right.


	16. Three Dried Mice

Paper Mario X

Chapter 15: Three Dried Mice

Kirby brought his friends to a secret place while fighting off Pokeys, Bandits, and who-knows-what else. Mario almost didn't trust that Kirby knew what he was doing, but something about the Star Warrior's strange behavior seemed to be…expected.

"This reminds me of the Gerudo Desert back in Hyrule…" Link mumbled, feeling awfully tired from all the running around.

"Decided to take the route less traveled huh?" Goombario snorted.

"Hey! We found a mouse nomad, didn't we?" defended Kirby, pointing at said mouse lounging under a thin palm tree. He looked at the adventurers like they lost their minds.

"Hello, fellow travelers! I'm in the middle of a journey, as you appear to be. Other travelers I meet are like brothers and sisters to me. If a town is what you seek, follow this path to the east…A desert town called Dry Dry Outpost waits at the paths end," he explained.

"Um…okay…" Kooper trailed.

"Well too bad! We're taking MY way so we can get the treasure in this corner of the desert!" Kirby shouted.

"What could be so important lost in the desert that we have to listen to you to find it?" Goombario snickered.

"Hey! You didn't listen to me when we fought Turkey Face, and if you don't care about the rare potential chance to level up, then stay here with Mickey Mouse all right?" jeered Kirby.

"Yeah, like we'd let Goombario be the one to level up? It'd be my Bombette!" Link bragged.

"Aw, you're too sweet!" Bombette giggled while blushing slightly.

**Later after another circling of the same spots several times-**

"I hate this oasis! All we got was a drink, a lemon, a lime, and an orange! Citrus makes my gums flare up!" hissed Goombario

"Didn't need to know that…" Parakarry stated disgusted.

"Sorry…"

"There it is!" Kirby said, pointing at the glowing block a few spots away. "Whoever hits it can level up!"

Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette rushed to get it while Parakarry couldn't care less. Goombario was just about to hit it until his foot was caught by something hard and stable: Link's hand.

"If Bombette doesn't get it, then nobody, as in YOU, CAN!" he roared. Link then spun Goombario over his head and threw him a good five areas north. Mario, Kirby, and Parakarry gawked at that before seeing the scuffle between Kooper and Bombette.

"Don't let him beat you Bombette!" cried Link.

"I'm…trying…" she moaned back. Kooper tried to shove Bombette but she was like a rock. However, since she was so small it was hard for her to get Kooper to go backward. They butted heads and suddenly bounced back from the explosion. Kooper scrambled up with Bombette chasing after him, but stopped when she realized it was too late. Link ran to her and asked her why she gave up.

"Maybe it's for the best…afterall, I don't mind. Maybe I can get it next time! Good luck, Kooper!"

Link smiled. "You're too nice Bombette…" He smiled at her and they both watched Kooper transform into a mega ultra macho monstrous…super partner. Nothing special.

"MAN! I was hoping I would get some muscles or something…" Kooper admitted.

"Check out that new move, Kooper!" Parakarry exclaimed. "Dizzy Shell! That'll come in handy!"

"I bet it will…" Bombette admitted.

"Doesn't look like it…" scoffed Goombario when he trotted back bruised.

"Now that that's done, we can go to the Outpost now. Mario? Care to take over?" Kirby asked.

Mario nodded anxiously and headed in the right direction (with Kirby barking out a few instructions).

. . .

Dry Dry Outpost was…just as doubly dry as everything else. What was the driest was a purple mouse that suddenly darted out of the store. Mario and the gang naturally knew this was very suspicious and chased after the mouse. They found him in the second part of the outpost, but he ran away and left another mysterious mouse in a brown robe standing there. He had a glint in his eyes as he spoke.

"Someone who gives things is nice, yes, very nice. Nice guys get told nice stuff…" he said softly.

The gang raised an eyebrow in one swift motion, having no idea what he meant. Kirby, however, knew just what to do. He took out the lemon and gave it to mysterious Mowzer.

"oh heavenly! A lemon! The nicest of nice things!" the mouse sighed. "You have proven you're nice by giving me my favorite thing. And since you're so nice, I'll tell you something really nice."

Kirby took over the conversation completely, since he knew what he was going. "How can we find… Moustafa?"

"To find Mr. Moustafa, go to the shop in this town. First buy a Dried Shroom. Then buy a Dusty Hammer. You must buy them in the correct order. This is a secret sign known to those loyal to Moustafa."

"I see!" stated Kooper.

"Remember, you must not buy them in the incorrect order!" the hooded mouse warned, turning away. Kirby nodded and showed his friends the way to the store. Mario quickly bought the Dried Shroom and the Dusty Hammer in the correct order, then waited for something to happen.

"What oh! Buying a Dusty Hammer after a Dried Shroom…is a secret sign that only friends of Mr. Moustafa know! …That means…you're in with Moustafa!" cried the store mouse (the same one that was running around suspiciously).

"Of course we are. We're tight like that!" Link bragged. Kirby snickered like he knew something.

"Hey! Brother! Good to meet you? Got any questions you need answered?" he asked.

"May we meet with Moustafa?" asked Kirby.

"…You wanna see Mr. Moustafa? He's usually up on the highest parts of Dry Dry Outpost. Just keep going up, my man!"

Link, Mario, and Kirby said good-bye and left the store without a clue on how to get to the top of the Outpost.

"Okay…what's the plan, Kirby?" Parakarry asked.

" Me?"

"Yeah, you seem to know what you're doing…somehow…"

Kirby pondered for a few moments, then took a look around. Then he quickly remembered something and ran back to the other area. The gang had to jog to keep up. The round pink ball was semi-surprised to see the mysterious mouse was gone, but the door he was guarding was open. He darted through, then climbed onto some boxes that led to the roofs of the buildings.

"Up here you guys!" Kirby called. His slow team hadn't even gotten through the house yet. He shrugged and kept going. "Meet ya there!"

He dashed on the rooftops, picking up a letter, passing pots, and jumping to reach another door. Kirby waited semi-impatiently for the others to arrive before opening the door.

"You could've waited!" Link scoffed.

"I AM waiting! It's not my fault you're all out of energy!" retorted Kirby.

"The desert made us pooped!" Goombario wheezed, getting a few giggles from Link and Bombette. "Oh, grow up!"

"We're all here now, so no use in arguing. Kirby, just open the door!" Kooper commanded. Kirby made a face, yet twisted the handle on the door. The entered, only to find the same mouse guarding the door was now sitting on the couch.

"Hey nice guy. We meet again. I'm glad you found me…" he said with a slight smile. He ripped off his robe and flew to the ground.

"Wait a minute! You're-" Link began.

"I'm Moustafa. I'm the one you've been seeking this whole time…"

"Ha! You really had them, Moustafa!" Kirby chuckled.

"I know! Did you see Goombario's face?" Moustafa laughed.

Kooper whirled around to look Kirby dead in the eye. "You knew him the entire time?"

"It's a long story of how I know so much about the desert. Plus I got bored. You guys are so plain…"

Moustafa coughed to get everyone's attention once again. "When I'm out and about in Dry Dry Outpost, I use the name Sheek. It's always good to meet a genuinely nice guy. I meet people all the time, but you are by far the nicest guy I've met so far." Moustafa grinned and hopped to the other side of the room.

"Deserts, Ruins, Sheek…this is way too much like Hyrule!" Link exclaimed. Moustafa slunk over to him and nearly whispered, "Our worlds are closer than you think…" He then spiraled back to where he once was and turned to Mario.

"Your name is Mario, yes? I hear you want to go to Dry Dry Ruins."

"I already know where it is!" interrupted Kirby.

"I have a feeling you are on a very important journey so I will tell you the secret. Dry Dry ruins is a very important place. My ancestors have watched over it for many generations. If I do not keep evil folk out of the ruins, who will? You must promise me that you will tell no one this secret!"

"You can trust the great Mario! And, of course, yours truly…" Kirby stated.

"And Hero of Time!" Link added.

"I'll give you this!" Moustafa said quietly, handing the Pulse Stone to Mario.

"It's pretty…" sighed Bombette, becoming mesmerized by it.

"This Pulse Stone is the key to finding Dry Dry Ruins. Take it to the desert, yes? The Pulse Stone will flash above your head as you get close to the ruins. The closer you get to the ruins, the faster the Pulse Stone will flash. Follow where it leads you! Find the place where the Pulse Stone flashes the fastest and use it to open the way."

Mario nodded and led the group out. Kirby was the last to leave, but before he left, he turned to Moustafa.

"Thanks, Moustafa."

"It's no problem. I like to be nice."

"That's…nice."

"Heh heh. Good luck!"

Kirby waved good-bye as he exited via door. He was going to miss Moustafa…after all, he was the one who gave him the map of the desert in the first place.


	17. The Mystery of Dry Dry Ruins

Paper Mario X

Chapter 16: The Mystery of Dry Dry Ruins

Kirby, Mario, and the Pulse Stone helped the group navigate through the desert again. Parakarry gave the Nomadimouse his letter. Goombario was trying to bother Link, but stayed back when Bombette intervened. Kooper was having breathing issues between the heat, wind, sand, and humidity. It was all he could do to keep moving!

"It's okay Kooper, we're almost there!" Kirby assured.

Kirby was right. In the next area they entered, the Pulse Stone went absolutely crazy! An odd rock was sitting in the middle. Kirby snagged the stone from Mario and placed it carefully into the rock. Almost instantly, the ground commenced to quake, jolting everyone within range around. Goombario tumbled into Kooper who hit Link's knee, and when Link went to grab his leg, he tripped over Bombettte.

"Sure glad I can fly!" Parakarry chuckled.

"I'm sorry Link!" Bombette cried.

"It's not your fault. It's Goombario's of course."

"WHAT!"

"There's no hiding it. You fell into Kooper."

"But-"

"You're busted. Don't defend yourself."

"Whatever…"

The sky darkened, and a swirling cloud of dust arose into the air, making Kooper really have an episode. In the dust, a structure suddenly rose out of the sands. Kirby cheered, knowing that they had uncovered the mystery of the ruins…but Mario felt as if the mysteriousness was just getting started.

. . .

On the other side of the Dry Dry Desert, Kolorado and his lackeys were running around screaming like the world was ending. Some explorers they were!

. . .

The residents of Dry Dry Outpost pulled their scarves and hoods even more over their faces. Moustafa hid his grin while covering his mouth with his robe. His job was done.

. . .

Mario and friends looked on at the marvelous sight before them. The ruins were now fully above the surface and still had sand pouring out of it. Bombette snuggled into Link who held her tight. Kooper had to retreat to his shell, since he couldn't take any more of the phenomenon. Parakarry did the same thing. Goombario was without a shield so he had to brace the hard conditions like a man…until he was blown away. Kirby laughed until he ended up swallowing some sand.

"GAK! Why me?" he sputtered.

Finally, the ground ceased its rumbling and the party could go inside.

"I wonder what's in there!" Goombario wondered.

Link flicked the back of his head while passing him to climb up the steps of the ruins. A voice welcomed them.

_"BLEGH! BLOOOAWHHHHH! I'm the huge, scary Tutankoopa! Remorseless king of the desert! Who dare to set foot in this, my palace of the sands? Speak and be known!"_ it ordered. _"Be gone from this place! NOW! Or disaster will befall you!"_

"That's all I needed to hear! Let's go!" Goombario and Kooper shrieked.

"Amateurs! The villain only says that to scare you away from the treasure, or whatever you're looking for…" Link scoffed.

"Isn't that true!" agreed Kirby.

. . .

The gang entered the next room, only to be ambushed by a Pokey Mummy in a coffin. Mario and Parakarry took their positions, followed by Link and Bombette and Kirby and Kooper.

"This is a Pokey Mummy. Pokey Mummies are Pokeys that dried out and became mummies then went to live in the ruins. Careful! They have spikes on their heads! Trust me-it'll hurt if you jump on 'em. The mummification also made 'em poisonous. If you get poisoned when they attack you, you'll take damage for a while. What do you say we beat 'em before they can poison us?" Goombario asked.

"I'd say…duh!" Link exclaimed.

"HP is four, attack two, and has no defense…"

Mario bonked it with his hammer and Parakarry swooped down, with was enough to kill it immediately.

"Not much of a battle…" complained Kirby."I love a good fight!"

"Maybe it's a sign that this place will be easy to get through!" suggested Goombario.

"Yeah, or maybe it's an excuse to prove how dumb that statement was!" Link grunted. Goombario mumbled something nasty. That wasn't the only time they encountered mummies. They kept popping out of coffins and attacking. Some battles were longer than others, depending on how many Pokeys there were and if a Pokey called in some backup. Mario did claim a badge that let him jump on spiky enemies, which he equipped instantly. Past that, there were two ways to go; one was locked, and the other was free. Obviously that meant to go that way first. The key was sitting on a stone block in the room. Mario snagged it, surprised at how easy it was.

"This is creepy…" stated Link.

"I know!" Goombario quipped.

"Not THAT way! This place is easy…in a creepy way…"

"…too easy…" Kirby added.

"Don't take it for granted until we unlock that door!" Kooper told them. Mario agreed and headed back. He undid the lock, causing a door to rise. The place was filled with solid sand, but there was no way out. Kirby spotted a pressure switch that he went to stand on, but he wasn't heavy enough. Link sighed and had to do it for him. Kirby snorted as the sand sunk into the room below them, much to the amusement of Goombario.

"It's still too easy…" Link grumbled.

"Don't jinx it!" Goombario warned. Link picked him up and dropped him down the newly visible hole in the floor. Mario shook his head and exited out the way they came, with everyone else on his heels. They entered civilly in the room that held the key. Goombario moaned in pain from landing on the hard sand. Link gracefully stepped on him before skipping into the doorway they couldn't reach before. He wasn't met nicely.

_"Fool! You have ignored my warning, haven't you? You fool! You will fall to my legions and become a mummy of the sands!"_ Tutankoopa bellowed again. Link shivered as his friends came in.

"We heard the voice again! Freaky…" Bombette said with worry.

"Let's focus on the room at hand. I say we head through that doorway over there before heading up some stairs…" suggested Kirby.

"Since when did you get so smart?" Link asked.

"Since I came here. Things are more complicated here than on Popstar!" replied Kirby.

"It's nowhere near the problems I have in Hyrule!"

"Yeah right! You just hack at your troubles with your sword!"

"You probably swallow them!"

"…so?"

"Touche."

Mario smacked his head with the rest of the crowd moaning. Link and Kirby stopped their argument, not even sure how it got started. Just Kirby went to go through the doorway, Mario, Parakarry, Link, and Bombette headed upward, beat up a Buzzy Beetle, had Parakarry fly them across a small gap, and used Bombette to blow a hole in the wall. It led to a room similar to the one they encountered earlier, with a pressure pad and sand. Link stood on it and watched the sand flush into the room below. Mario could've sworn he heard screaming in the room below, but shrugged it off to grab a nearby Star Piece. The four retraced their steps and went through the doorway Kirby said to go through.

"Hey…where's Kirby?" Bombette asked.

"Oh no. We've lost Kooper too!" Parakarry yelped.

"But…Goombario is gone! YEAH! PARTY! BREAK OUT THE-" Link started to celebrate, until he heard muffled voices coming from under the sand. A pink arm, which wasn't that long, poked out, and Link reached down to help him while Mario yanked on a hand that would've belonged to a Koopa. Kirby and Kooper gasped for air as they flopped onto the microscopic pebbles.

"You guys…buried us…" Kirby wheezed.

"Sorry! You shouldn't have rushed ahead!" Link snickered. "The good thing about all of this is that Goombario is lost beneath the sands of time! Come on everyone! DANCE!"

The party turned into a real party as everyone but Mario shook what their mamas' gave them on the sand. Link, Kirby, and Bombette were going wild with their disco, break dancing, and random moves. Kooper and Parakarry were doing the "Koopa Shell" dance. Mario grunted and kept his eyes on the sands. Goombario eventually wormed his way out of the sands as well, panting heavily.

"Never…want to go through that…again…"

"NOOOOO!" Link cried in a cliché scene of him diving toward Goombario. Goombario simply stepped out of the way and turned to everybody else.

"Hey! Why is everybody dancing?" Goombario asked. Kirby, Bombette, Kooper, and Parakarry, whistled, blushed, looked away, and coughed for "no apparent reason".

"Oh…it was good while it lasted…no annoying mushroom nagging me or making fun of my jokes or singing…or getting in the way…" Link rambled about his brief moment of paradise.

"YOU WERE CELEBRATING MY BURIAL?" shouted an outraged Goombario.

"Not necessarily…"

Mario gave Link a quick bonk on the head with his hammer, hoping it would snap the swordsman back to his senses. Goombario laughed, Link slowly lifted his head with a nasty snarl, and Goombario had the urge to run away. Mario though this was so immature and bonked Link again, only slightly harder. However, Link's HP was on the low side, so you can imagine Mario's heart stopping when Link careen forward and fell in the sand. Mario then turned to see Bombette sob over Link's "Game Over". She burst next to Mario then ran off to parts unknown. Kirby and Kooper ganged up on the red plumber.

"Now look what you did! You tried to make Goombario look good, you nearly killed Link, and now you made Bombette run away all by herself!" Kirby shouted.

Mario: O.O;

"Well I hope you can fix this, because Link's going to be sour at you for a long time…" Kooper said seriously.

"Now we have to go hunt down Bombette!" Parakarry boomed.

Mario: I'm sorry!

The gang left Mario with Link, who was trying to get back up. Goombario waddled past him and said, "I'm still your biggest fan though!"

He ran out of the room to get a punch in the face by Kirby. Falling to the floor, he stared into the pink puff's long back eyes.

"That's what you get for your part in all this. It's everyone's fault," Kirby explained.

"How am I-"

"It just is…"

"…I see."

Kirby stared at him until Link limped out with an ashamed Mario straddling behind. Kooper ran up to Link and quickly handed him a Whack-a Bump he snagged when Bombette wasn't looking. Link managed to smile as he sank his teeth into the scrumptious delectable.

"Are you going to cut Mario's head off?" Kirby asked anxiously. Mario put on a look of horror.

"No," Link sighed. "Mario explained that he didn't know about my HP being low. Why are we making such a big deal out of this? It was an accident…and I was acting a little-"

"Yes?" Goombario interupted. Link scowled.

"Um...how about unfair? Yeah..."

Mario gave a thumbs up to show he was okay now, and he and Link shook hands. The partners cheered as Link realized something was wrong.

"Uh…where's Bombette?" he asked slowly. The cheering stopped immediately and Mario hid his face again.

"When you fell over, she had a breakdown and disappeared-" Kirby started.

"WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE THEN? GO GO! WE GOTTA FIND HER!" Link wailed, tripping over the steps. The gang darted after him. They scurried down the stairway, and unlocked the locked door. Link sprinted in with gusto as they continued to search for Bombette. At the end of the hall was a question block that Kirby hit with excitement, only to have Pokey Mummies arise out of their resting places and the door to close. Mario took a Pokey head on, to make up for his bad deeds.

"You're going to fight by yourself?" Link gawked.

"He's really lost it…" Kirby trailed.

Mario used his hammer, the first Pokey tossed one of its part at him as the second did the same. That's how it went until the Pokey's were defeated, including an extra one the second summoned. When it was all officially over, Mario had eaten quite a few Honey Shroom to replenish his health and his FP.

Link put a hand on his should and said, "That was really stupid…but it shows you care."

Mario shook his head with a small smile while Kooper shot his shell at the next victim. The Pokey's battle buddy was a Swooper that Link and Kooper couldn't hit.

"This is a Swooper, a ghost bat. Swoopers got their name because they swoop down out of the shadows. Even Jump attacks can't reach 'em when they're hanging on the ceiling, but earth tremors will knock 'em loose. Parakarry can also knock 'em loose with one of his moves. You can attack 'em however you choose once they're hovering in the air," Goombario explained. "Four, two, and zero, just in case anyone wanted to know…"

Kooper hit the Pokey with a shell, followed by Kirby sucking in the Pokey and became Pokey Kirby. He tossed a spike ball at the Swooper on the ceiling, causing it to fly at normal height. The Pokey shuffled over and bonked Kirby with its head, then the Swooper swooped down and knocked Kooper over. Mario jumped on the Pokey, remembering his recently acquired badge, and the Pokey was down. Parakarry dived into the Swooper and gave it a successful hit. The Swooper had only 1 HP now, and after he flew into Mario, faced the wrath of a Goombario Headbonk that Link snorted at.

"Thing are starting to poke up!" Kirby joked, and everyone was shocked to see that Link didn't go to pieces.

"It's not funny without Bombette…" he sighed. The gang couldn't help but feel pity for him. As they went to defeat the last Pokey Tower, he moaned to himself.

"Bombette…I don't know what to think about all this. I just want you to be okay…"

**Dramatic comedy? Or Comedic Drama? Your choice. Man, I feel sorry for everyone in this chapter! **

**Next time-**

**The gang crawls deeper into the ruins, also on a search for their lost partner. The scary deep voice echoing through the halls keeps spooking the gang out! Will they be able to take this "voice" down and get the Star Spirit?**

**P.S. I tried to move this to the new Crossover section thing, but it wouldn't do what I wanted it to do so I'm leaving it under Normal Mario. **


	18. We're Ruined!

Paper Mario X

Chapter 17: We're Ruined!

Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Parakarry, and Kirby got rid of the last Pokey Mummy in their current room while Link continued to sulk over their missing partner.

"C'mon Link, at least walk," Kirby pleaded, having been dragging the swordsman everywhere.

"I don't feel like it," Link sighed back, still not making an effort to move. Mario shook his head, but there was nothing more he could do than just keep forging on.

. . .

In the next room, the gang encountered a new enemy- a blue-shelled creature that Goombario explained was a Buzzy Beetle.

"Buzzy Beetles are cute-but mean. Fire attacks don't work very well against these hardheads. If you can flip 'em, though, their defense power falls to zero. Keep flipping 'em, Mario! I heard that they used to flourish all over the place, but now they're only found in dark, shadowy places…HP three, attack two, defense, naturally, two."

Mario simply jumped on it to flip it over, then had Parakarry finish it off with his Sky Dive.

"Well those things aren't too challenging," Kirby decided, now dragging Link up some steps.

At the top of the set of stairs was a gap that Parakarry easily helped everyone cross. Mario thanked the mailman quickly before dashing off into the next area.

. . .

It was a very oddly designed room, with a single ledge, red stairs leading up to it, and a single switch resting on that one platform. Mario climbed up the first set of stairs and curiously placed his foot on the switch. The stairs magically swapped, preventing the group from exiting the room, but allowing them to go farther.

"Oh great- there better be something worth finding in here…" Kirby muttered, folding his arms.

"I'm sure there is!" Kooper assured. "After all, we're in desert ruins! There's probably treasure, artifacts, and information we could find! An archeologist would have a field day in here!"

"Yeah…but I sorta meant something that could benefit us."

"Oh…I suppose that would be good too."

Mario continued with the puzzle, only to find himself at a dead end. There was a locked door, and nothing but a question mark block waiting for him. He gave the block a bash, only for the room to start quaking.

"Ack! What's going on? !" Parakarry panicked, flying around in a frenzy.

The door leading out slammed shut, making everyone jump. Then, the three coffins in the room whooshed open, with a Pokey Mummy emerging out of each one.

"We're being ambushed by zombies!" Kirby wailed, pulling out his Final Cutter and waving it around in defense. "Stay back! Back, I say!"

Mario began the battle with the three cactus-creatures by using his hammer on the first one. Parakarry then pulled into his shell and dove into the Pokey, finishing it off with Shell Shot. The duo of Pokeys then threw spike balls at Mario and Parakarry, but both of them ducked under them and remained unharmed.

"Man, I don't even have a partner to fight with…" Link murmured in a melancholic way, swinging his sword with hardly any enthusiasm. The second Pokey had two damage done to him, but without Bombette, Link was unable to finish it off. Both Pokeys then inched up to Link and slammed their heads down on him, taking away a total of four from the Hero of Time.

"Ow!" Link complained, rubbing his head. "Cut me a little slack now, will ya?"

The Pokeys didn't reply, as it was now Kirby's turn, and they wanted to be ready for anything. However, the third one certainly wasn't expecting Kirby to jump in the air, shout "YA-EEE!", and bring his Final Cutter down on him and finish him off in one shot. Kooper whistled before pulling into his shell and shooting himself at the remaining Pokey, resulting in another battle win for the team.

"Good work guys," Kirby said cheerfully as the door was reopened and a key was dropped. Mario picked the golden key up off the ground, stuck it in the lock, and opened the next door.

. . .

The moment they entered a deeper room in the ruins, the same voice rang out to try to haunt them once again.

_"Uh…? Wait! C'mon, don't go in that room!…Oops! Ahem, I mean…Flee now while you still can! If you continue…uh…you'll feel a horrible curse!"_

"Yeah, we should leave-"

"You are so gullible, Goombario."

"Oh! Not sad enough to not torture me, eh?"

Link shrugged semi-casually as Goombario fumed. Mario didn't want anything to start again so he headed around the rest of the chamber.

It had another stair puzzle, but this time there were four sets of stairs, with two sets being red and two were green. Mario also noticed a picture of a chest on the wall, with an arrow pointing towards the left. He found it rather peculiar, but the only way he was going to figure out anything was by solving all the ruins' mysteries.

"Well, let's test it out!" Kirby declared, jumping in the first switch. All the stairs rotated, causing them all to lead to a different platform. Mario was starting to catch on already and jumped off the current platform, climbed up the first set of stairs, and hit a previously unreachable switch. The gang followed him just before the stairs turned again, with the second set now able to be reached.

They climbed up the second green set, walked over a platform, then descended down the first red set, leading them to another switch. Link took the courtesy of pressing this one, forcing the stairs to rearrange again and for the second set of red stairs to be accessible.

"All right, cool!" Kooper cheered, following Kirby down the steps. Mario went all the way back to the beginning, climbed the first set of green stairs, then the first set of red ones. They now led up to a whole different area, but one wrong move caused the gang to fall into an area they couldn't escape from.

"AW man! Now what do we do?" Goombario panicked, throwing himself at the walls like crazy. Mario had a feeling the answer lied within the blatantly obvious chest sitting in the middle of the blocked off room.

He quickly opened it, with the rest of the group pushing and peering over his shoulder to see what rested within as well. Mario reached in and pulled out three things- A Super Hammer for him, a Super Sword for Link, and a Super Cutter for Kirby. Link and Kirby pushed their way to the front to receive their upgrades.

"Cool! Look at that shine!" Link exclaimed, swinging it around. "With this, I'm going to try my new move, the Jump Attack!

"My Cutter…it's beautiful! It's too bad I don't get a new move…" Kirby gazed. He then remembered his hammer and turned to Mario. "Hey Mario? Now that you have that Super Hammer, you're not going to need that wooden one so…can I have it?"

Mario immediately nodded and handed the old hammer to Kirby. Link leaned over and explained that it belonged to Goombario's grandpa and Kirby instantly regretted it. He kept it nevertheless; he needed it to boost his hammer's attack power. Mario tried out his new sleek hammer on the Stone Block that was guarding their way out. It shattered like a glass window.

"Wow! Tough!" Parakarry whistled. Mario smiled. Pointing onward, Mario led his friends out of the room, floated back over the gap with Parakarry's help, and found a cement block blocking an artifact Kolorado would love, which Kooper snagged on the spot. As Mario smashed the block, Link cried out in joy as he tackled a sobbing Bombette, who was sitting next to where the artifact once was. Bombette yelped in surprise, but knew it was none other than Link.

"Bombette! You're okay!" Link gaped.

"Link! You're alive!"

"Why would you run away like that? I was about ready to pass out."

"I needed to be alone after that. It was so overwhelming…I…"

Link smiled. "Bombette…I'm okay. You know Mario's not tough enough to take me out all the way!" Mario mock scowled as Bombette nodded. "Don't run away until you know if I'm all right or not, okay? I'll let it slide this time, on one condition."

"What?"

"Don't hurt Mario."

Bombette laughed, along with Link and Kirby. Mario made a noise as he motioned for them to keep going- there was still a lot of ground they needed to cover.

. . .

Exiting out of the rather puzzling room, the voice of Tutankoopa decided it was time to pump up his "threats".

_"Turn back thief! Your time is running out! If you do not retreat, you'll be in grave trouble! I do not lie! You will regret it!"_

Goombario couldn't take it and ran off, but Link caught him and tossed him into a room with funny-looking statues against the wall. They had Chomp heads, and strange spots in the center, as if something was meant to be placed there. It seemed to catch the attention of the young bomb. Bombette shrugged and continued onward into a room with a key, but when Mario and Parakarry tried to get it they fell. Luckily, Mario found a pressure button and stood on it, causing stairs to push out of the wall. Kirby climbed up, took the key, and ran into a doorway that opened up into a dark hall with Buzzies wandering around. The gang took care of them all single handedly; those turtles weren't a match for them!

. . .

The hall led to a room where something sacred lay: another Super Block! Goombario dove for it, but he was held back by Link yet again. Bombette jumped up and activated it, ready for whatever came next. Bombette felt a sudden rush of power take over her as she became a Super Rank.

She whispered, "Thank you," Link replying with a wink. "Now I'm at a Super Rank like Kooper!"

"Good job!" stated Kooper.

"Now you're even stronger!" added Parakarry.

"That's not fair…" whined Goombario.

Bombette stuck out her tongue as Link threw her to a crack in the wall. Once it exploded, Mario had to have a look around. There was a Stone Block, but Kirby knew there was something bad under there.

"Just hit it! We can take it!" Kooper assured. Mario nodded and broke the cube before Kirby could have a say in it. A Stone Chomp sprang out and nearly clipped Mario's mustache off his face. In battle, The Chomp had brought a friend to play.

"Chomps? !" Goombario exclaimed as he scanned the pages of his log. "Uh… You've heard about Chomps before, I'm sure. They're made of such hard stuff that most of your attacks won't even faze them. I heard a rumor that the Chomps are a little peeved at Tutankoopa because he works them so hard. HP is four, attack is three, and...holy cheese on a sandwich, their defense is three!"

Mario whistled, but didn't allow that to faze him. He did a Quake Hammer move, which took two out of both. Link then decided to test out Bombette's new move, the Power Bomb, which hit both Chomps and did them in without any problems.

"That's so cool!" Bombette cheered, glad she had taken the Chomps out in a single blow. "That move it totally epic!"

She then skipped up the stairs to grab the pink Diamond Stone that the Chomps and the Stone Block were guarding. It was so pretty she couldn't ignore it. Link called from the other room to tell her to come on; they had all left without her. She exited the room, then bounced on the spring to blow up yet another wall.

. . .

After some more navigating, Mario came to a room similar to the one with the Stone Chomps, only there was a green gem instead. Mario cautiously broke the cement block, but nothing was under it. However, a Chomp peeled off from a paper on the opposite wall. Mario tried to get away, but the monster nipped his backside at the last moment. This time, Mario told Bombette to use her Power Bomb to do the job in one blow. Link couldn't have been more proud. He took the Pyramid Stone and let Bombette carry it as an award.

. . .

Another few hours of darting from the same rooms and going in circles, Mario and co. finally located that long forgotten locked door. The plumber eagerly got rid of the lock. He was sick of seeing the same rooms, and hearing Kirby and Goombario's complaining. Apparently everyone else had the same idea, and they almost got stuck in the doorway. The room was filled with sand and, as expected, was another "flusher" button. Mario and Link grinned while they both stepped on it, and the drained sand landed in the next room, but revealed a few Chomp statues with shapes on them, two of them being in the shapes of the jewels they found.

"Gee…those look like the statues in the previous room!" Kirby deduced, poking one just to make sure.

"Maybe it tells the order that the gems must be placed?" wondered Bombette, holding out their two treasures.

"But there's three shapes, and we only have two gems," Kooper pointed out.

"Pryamid, Diamond, Moon-thing…we're missing the Moon-thing," Parakarry concluded.

"Well then let's go find it!" declared Link, pointing his sword forward and leading them out of the room. Mario watched as everyone marched out of the room, but then shrugged and followed after.

. . .

Bombette and Link exchanged glances as they went to the room that the sand landed in. Then THAT room led to ANOTHER room which held yet ANOTHER stone block with ANOTHER gem that was a gorgeous blue moon and once ANOTHER stone block was broken…no Chomp appeared.

"Finally! We can do this without being attacked!" Bombette exclaimed. She happily hopped up and picked up the Lunar Stone.

"I think I like this one more than the Diamond Stone!" she giggled as the Chomp guardian peeled from the wall behind her, ready to strike. Link noticed in the nick of time and blocked the blow before Bombette could even look up. However, this started another battle that didn't last long with the help of Bombette's Power Bomb.

"Now we should probably put those stones in the Chomp Statues we saw earlier in the places those other Chomp statues told us," Kirby said matter-of-factly, adjusting the glasses on his face that he retrieved from nowhere in particular.

Link ripped the glasses off and instantly asked, "Where's the intelligence drink was and how can I get some?"

Kirby replied by saying, "You could probably use one!", thus commencing a friendly scuffle. It made Mario smile lightly.

. . .

"Do we HAVE to get rid of these?" Bombette asked sadly when they hit the Chomp Statue room, still gripping her treasures tight.

"Oh, it's a girl thing. A Diamond is a girl's best friend…" Goombario scoffed.

"I just can't get rid of them!"

"But we need them to get out of here," explained Link softly. "Don't you want to help?"

"I…well…okay. Only because I have to help."

"That's it Bombette!" Kirby cheered. She smiled as she put the stones in the correct statue. The Chomps' eyes lit up, and the room launched into a vibrating frenzy. Everyone ran around panicking until the vibrations came to a sudden standstill. A section of the floor transformed into steps that led to a whole new area. They all headed down, and hit a health block to replenish everyone. But that meant something big was coming up, and it gave Kirby, Goombario, Link, Bombette, and Kooper shivers. Mario and Parakarry just shook the feeling off.

"What could be down there?" whispered Kooper, who was on the verge of an accident.

"Oh who knows? If we're lucky we can fight a giant creature!" Kirby cackled.

"How would _that_ be lucky?"

"…It'd be exciting…"

That conversation left the group even more spooked. Mario kept pushing onward, not letting a silly feeling get in his way.

_"This is your final warning! Enough of this foolishness! Leave at once!"_

Goombario obeyed and sprinted out the door, but was yet again dragged forcibly back by Link.

"Really, you're a gullible coward. How can you be scared of a floating voice?" Link scoffed.

"The fact that it's a _floating voice_ is _why_ I'm scared!" answered Goombario.

"Aw, sack up. It-t can't be that sc-scary…" Kirby stated with a jolt. "I bet we'll deal with this Tutankoopa like dealing a stack of cards!" A few laughs escaped out of Link and Bombette. Link then turned to the gang.

"You guys ready to rumble?" he asked. Mario gave a thumbs up with everyone else muttering nervous "Yeah"s, scared "Uh-huhs, " and one "NO!" except Goombario, who was trying to wriggle out of Link's grip to leave again. Mario flicked his hat out of his face and entered the last doorway for a boss…chills went down his spine for the first time.


	19. Tutankoopa: I Want my Mummy

Paper Mario X

Chapter 18: Tutankoopa: I Want My Mummy

_Previously-_

_"This is your final warning! Enough of this foolishness! Leave at once!"_

_Goombario obeyed and sprinted out the door, but was yet again dragged forcibly back by Link._

_"Really, you're a gullible coward. How can you be scared of a floating voice?" Link scoffed._

_"The fact that it's a floating voice is why I'm scared!" answered Goombario._

_"aw, sack up. I-it-can't be that sc-scary…" Kirby stated with a jolt. "I bet we'll deal with this Tutankoopa like dealing a stack of cards!" A few laughs escaped out of Link and Bombette. Link then turned to the gang._

_"You guys ready to rumble?" he asked. Mario gave a thumbs up with everyone else muttering nervous "yeah"s, scared "Uh-huhs, " and one "NO!" except Goombario, who was trying to wriggle out of Link's grip to leave again. Mario flicked his hat out of his face and entered the last doorway for a boss…chills went down his spine for the first time._

. . .

The room was pitch black. Bombette felt around for Link's support but ended up hitting Kirby in the eye with her braid. Link heard Kirby yelp and managed to get a hold of Bombette's braid.

"I'm right here…no need to freak out on Kirby…" he muttered, with Kirby claiming he now had a black eye.

"Kirby…your eye was black before! What would change?" Bombette snickered. Link and eventually Kirby had to give her points while they laughed. Mario let out a groan until Tutankoopa's old, hollow, **dark**, sinister, creepy laugh rang through the **dark** room.

"Bleah heh he heh heh heh heh!" A pharaoh hat suddenly appeared out of the shadowy darkness, making everyone jump and a select few scream in terror. Goombario made one last attempt to run, but tripped over his two feet, not like he could see them in the blackness. The lights suddenly flickered on, and yet no body occupied the royal garb. More shivers and chills could be felt slithering down the room. The sensation made Goombario cry out, resulting in Link accusing him of being a wimp, despite the fact he was freaked out of his pants too! He could feel and hear Bombette gulp; she was afraid too.

But the most prominent sound had to be the creepy chattering that utterly unsettled everybody-

"Kirby! Stop chattering your teeth!"

"Sorry! I can't help it…"

The ghost hovered over to a ledge, where his body pieces came together and finally, the body could be seen under the crown. One look at Tutankoopa still made Goombario want to escape with his life. However, his initial fear had left him frozen to the spot. Mario was the only one who appeared to look unchanged, standing his ground are ready to face their apparent foe.

"You! You ignored all those very scary warnings!" Tutankoopa bellowed.

"I tried to get them to leave sir!" Goombario squeaked, only to get a smack in the face by Link.

"Hmph! The warnings weren't scary, and you're even less scary!" Kirby declared, then took a few steps back when Tutankoopa stared him down.

"Don't you have the common sense to get scared and run away? What's wrong with you?" Tutankoopa started shaking his fists, the rage building up within him. "You shouldn't mess with Tutankoopa, a faithful follower of King Bowser! …Ooops, I mean…You shall regret this!"

"I WANT MY MOMMY!" Goombario shouted at the top of his lungs, frantically trying to get out. It was too late; Tutankoopa transported them to the battle stage.

"Just see what it says about this fool," Link sighed, his fear slowly melting away.

"Okay, okay… This is Tutankoopa. He's one of Bowser's followers and he's been assigned to guard one of the Star Spirits. I've heard that he has sort of a pharaoh complex. Max HP: Thirty, Attack Power: Three, Defense Power: Zero. He attacks by throwing shells from that high perch. Try to dodge when he uses magic: its attack power is two and it'll sting for sure. And he also summons Chomps, his loyal subjects. These Chomps have some serious attack power. Think hard about whom to attack first- Tutankoopa or Chomp."

"I say destroy them all at once!" Kirby proclaimed, twirling both his hammer and his Final Cutter around.

Mario started off with a Power Jump to get things going. Parakarry added to that his Shell Dive.

"Come! Chomp! Come! Bite this intruder!" the Koopa Pharaoh roared, ordering a Chomp to come. A little back door opened and let a Chomp in.

"Who let the Chomp in? Whoo woo woo woof!" Link sang. However, when he received no response, not even from Bombette, Link coughed and used his Jump Attack, remembering his increased attack, and that this move could be used in the air. Bombette performed Bomb on the Chomp to drain the threat. Tutankoopa growled and threw one of his shells from his stash at Link. Link brought up his shield to defend against it. Kirby worked in his new Super Cutter to hack off six damage. He smirked smugly as Goombario did a Head Bonk.

"Bleah heh heh…" the pharaoh chuckled, raising his arms. "I am a magical genius! Watch this and be amazed!"

Mario: ?

The Chomp distracted Kirby and Goombario, causing debris to fall on their heads and take away some HP. Tutankoopa then laughed at their misfortune. Goombario received an injury and had to sit out two turns. Mario, however, was able to attack with another Power Jump. Parakarry did his normal move. Tutankoopa was now down to 5 HP, but it was his turn.

"Ow, that hurt! You rude, rude people! I'm the king of the desert! Take this!"

He wasted his by summoning another Chomp. Link snickered, had Bombette get rid of the Chomp, then used Jump Attack, finally defeating Tutankoopa for good.

"Whoa Link! That's the second bad guy you got the last shot at!" Kooper exclaimed.

"Lucky!" Kirby hissed.

"Eh, I'm just good like that!" Link chuckled while showing off a difficult sword move, making Goombario grunt and Bombette laugh.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" wailed the fake pharaoh Koopa, plopping onto the ground. A Chomp then poked its head into the ground and Tutankoopa softened up. "Aw…C'mere Chompy!"

What Tutankoopa didn't know that the group knew, thanks to Goombario's tattle, that the Chomps were tired of being bossed around by him, and wanted to fight back. When the Chomp made its way over to Tutankoopa, it began to attack.

"WAA! What're you…ow! HELP!" he cried, running for his life. Once the Chomp chased him straight out of the room, a familiar white light floated into the room, transforming into a Star Card. Mario proudly walked over and touched it, causing another blinding flash of white light.

"Whoa…pretty…" Kirby breathed, watching the phenomenon for the first time.

Mario held the Star Spirit Mamar above his head proudly. Two spirits down, with five to go!

. . .

Thus Mario and party unearthed the legendary Dry Dry Ruins deep within Dry Dry Desert. They smashed Tutankoopa and freed Mamar, the second wish-granting spirit. But the enemies awaiting Mario grow even stronger…and the challenges more difficult.

What's in store for Mario and friends…where will their adventure take them next?


	20. Like That Reptile Spy

Paper Mario X

Chapter 19: Like That Reptile Spy

Back in the Peachy Bowser Sky Castle, Bowser barged in uninvited into the girl's room unannounced once again. Amy was playing around with Zelda's hair for entertainment while Peach stood around thinking to herself. She snapped out of it when she saw Bowser approach her.

"Grawh hah ha ha ha…hello! How're you feeling Princess? Nothing makes me happier than a smile form you, Peach," Bowser began. Amy leaned forward to whisper in Zelda's ear.

"Why does she get the special treatment?" she grumbled.

Zelda turned around with a smug smile.

"Remember the diary incident? Bowser likes Peach! Of _course_ he'd treat her well…" she whispered with a snicker. It was too quiet for Bowser to hear, but Peach heard it just fine while she turned her back to Bowser.

"Well tough luck! I'm in a very bad mood, you monster!" growled Peach. "You've imprisoned all the guests of the castle! You are the single greatest disaster to befall the Mushroom Kingdom! I'll tell you what: I'll smile when you make everything as it was before you showed up!"

Zelda and Amy whistled. "You tell him Peach!" The ends of Peach's mouth slightly curved up as Bowser gave them a death look.

"Gwaa ha ha ha! Oh, that's rich! You know I can't do that! That jerk Mario just beat the Koopa Bros. _and _Tutankoopa! Sure, they were complete wimps, but they we're still loyal to me! I can't forgive Mario for disrespecting me! I'm nipping this bud right now. I'm going to use Invincible Tubba Blubba on him. He's the strongest creature I know…after me. You'd best forget about Mario…"

The words hammered at Peach's confident wall one by one. The last phrase did the biggest blow and it was all she could to not cry. Bowser turned to the other two females.

"You two had better forget about your heroes too! Link will be going with Mario, and rumors are Sonic passed out after his sprint into the desert! Kirby's plain useless and there hasn't been report on Samus…so there's no hope for you either!"

Just as he finished with Amy and Zelda giving him grudges, Kammy Koopa stormed in the door.

"Your Nastiness!" she cried, scooting over to her king. "We have a problem!"

"Why, Kammy Koopa! What's got you so riled up? You seem upset!" Bowser exclaimed.

"No, really?" Zelda groaned as Kammy leaned in to whisper. The news passed into Bowser's ears, and Kammy flinched away in fear of his reaction.

"WHAT! ?" Bowser roared, springing into the air with budged eyes. "The Star Spirit flew away from Tubba Blubba's castle?"

"Ki…King Bowser! Keep your voice down! Princess Peach will hear you!" Kammy hissed.

"Mmmmm…yes, right. Tell me the details over there…" Bowser murmured, heading out the door. Peach, Zelda, and Amy inched closer to try to pick up bits of info. They would've pressed their ears against the door, but Twink flew out of his hiding spot at the last moment, interrupting their investigation.

"Hi Twink!" Amy called.

"Hello Amy."

"Twink, did you hear all that?" Peach asked.

"Yes! I sure did! The Star Spirit must have escaped…Did you hear him call that Tubba Blubba thing "invincible"? That doesn't sound good! Do you think Mario can win?" Twink replied with a hint of worry.

"With Link's help, of course!" Zelda said.

"Don't forget Kirby. Despite what that jerk Bowser says…" Amy added.

"We'd better try to find out about Tubba Blubba," Peach stated seriously. "If we could find something…ANYTHING, about a weak point…it might just save Mario, Link, and Kirby!"

"All right! Peach is going to step it up again! Let's bust outta here and find some information!" Zelda urged.

"Good idea!" agreed Twink.

"Then…then there's no time to lose! We won't get anything done if we just stay in this room."

"Let's try to go out the same way as last time!" recommended Amy. Peach nodded and walked over to the drawing on the wall that hid the secret button. The girl gang winked at each other as they entered their secret passage out of the room. They were all disappointed that Bowser's diary was gone; they sure had some good times with that thing!

"Darn, now how are supposed to get information?" Zelda asked, brushing her hand over the place where the diary once lie.

"…we could try searching a different room," Peach decided, opening the door quietly.

On the other side was one of the main foyers, with Koopatrols literally scattered in every inch of the floor. And for the spots they couldn't cover, they took care of with massive flashlight beams, leaving no spot undetected.

"We gotta be stealthy!" Zelda observed after taking a peak around the door. She transformed into her alternate ego, Sheik, and gave a nod to say she was ready.

"We gotta be like that one guy in another world! Isn't his name like, Liquid Lizard or something?" Amy input.

"No! It's uh…Gas Gecko!" Sheik guessed.

"It's Solid Snake. Yes, we do need to be like him," Peach established.

After Twink's brief warning on how to be careful, the girls headed out. They tried to head up the stairs, but were forced to retreat because there was a guard at the door. Luckily, they left just before they were spotted. Peach led her troop across the room to the opposite door where a large purple chest was. Sheik picked up a badge for Star Power called Deep Focus. Peach then explained about the origins of the chest and how there was another one in the Kingdom. You could put items in one and it'd come out the other. Amy asked if they could escape that way, but Peach told her it didn't work on people. Sheik placed the badge she found inside the chest and winked at her friends. Peach smiled back and headed out of the room to the one next door, but it was just a dining room, so they left.

"ugh, Peach, don't you know your own castle?" a usually silent Sheik snapped.

"It's dark, and I've been cooped up in that one room for too long!" defended Peach.

She went to the only door that was left, and it led to a Library.

"We could've entered this one in the first place!" Amy gasped quietly, not trying to arouse attention. Peach look at her with annoyance as Twink exclaimed there were guards in this room as well. It was Sheik's turn to glare at Amy who slapped her gloved hands over her big mouth. Sheik told them she'd meet them where there was some info, and quickly climbed up the bookshelves and darted across the tops of them, soundlessly. Peach and Amy murmured something as they outwitted a pacing guard, slunk by one going around in a circle, found another badge for Mario, and found Sheik laying on a shelf eavesdropping on a Hammer Bro. and a Koopatrol.

"…Hey…have you heard about Master Tubba Blubba?" the Hammer Bro. asked. "I heard a rumor he loves eating ghosts!"

"Ugh…Ghosts huh? Master Tubba Blubba…He lives inside Forever Forest, doesn't he? I think he's guarding one of the Star Spirits right now."

"Yeah. Master Tubba Blubba lives in the castle at the top of Gusty Gulch. I hear that somewhere near his castle is a mansion and a village full of ghosts. I guess Tubba Blubba goes there to catch Boos. And then, when he catches one, he gobbles it down, starting with the head! Chomp!"

"Brrrr…oh, man, that's so scary…Now I won't be able to walk to the bathroom by myself at night…And I'm gonna have nightmare, I know it! Why'd you have to tell me?"

"I also here Master Tubba Blubba is invincible. They say he can't be hurt. No one can even scratch him! He might even be stronger than King Bowser…"

"Stronger than King Bowser? Come on, that's impossible! Even Master Tubba Blubba has to have some kind of weak points. It's just common sense!"

"Yeah. You may be right…There's another rumor that Tubba Blubba has a secret that would ruin him if it ever got out. I bet it's about his past. I heard he didn't used to be strong at all…"

"Shhhh! What if Tubba Blubba hears you? He might gobble us up!…Still…what do you think he secret could be anyway?"

"I don't know. No one knows. That's why it's a secret you half-wit!"

Peach, Amy, and Twink had to take a moment to process this information.

"Twink…it sounds like Tubba Blubba has a weak point after all," Peach whispered.

"I wanna know what it is!" Amy murmured under her breath.

"If only we could find out…" Twink pondered.

"Maybe Mario will figure it out…" Sheik wondered to herself aloud. Hammer Bro. caught a snip of their conversation.

"…huh? Hey…did you hear someone talking just now?" The Hammer Bro. wondered.

GASP.

"Do you think someone knows we're goofing off in here?" the other replied. Sheik was caught off guard and toppled off the shelf, only to be captured by a guard. She quickly transformed back into Zelda, causing the guard to freak out. She dashed past the others that were roaming in the room and tried to escape out the hall, but she was caught.

The two goofing off workers turned the corner to see Peach, Amy, and Twink spying on them.

"oh! Whoa! Princess Peach ! How'd you get in here?"

"I'm so sorry to have to do this, but you need to go back to your room. Right now."

They ganged up on Peach, only to have Amy pull out her weapon.

"You're not the only one who has a hammer, bro! AHHHIIIIII!" She jumped into the air and started hacking at the two Koopas. They yelped as back-up arrived and restrained Amy, still trying to hit whatever she could. The girls were thrown back into the room, on top of Zelda.

"Well. We got caught," she moaned.

"That jerk's shell bent my hammer!" Amy whined, trying to bend it back into shape. Peach got off Zelda and dusted off her dress.

"I just hope Mario-"

"-finds that other chest!"

Zelda winked at Peach before Amy wanted to redo her hair after the rumble. As the hedgehog dragged the other princess away, Peach couldn't help but think something was very wrong…

. . .

Mario and co. stood outside the ruins with Mamar. She was ecstatic about them saving her, and couldn't express it enough.

"Thank you Mario. At last I can head home to Star Haven. My name is Mamar. So nice to meet you in person. You've still got a long way to go, but I just know you can save Princess Peach! I'll do my best to help you! Here's a present for you."

Mamar used her magic to upgrade Mario's Star Power. It increased up to two, along with the new move, Lullaby.

"Call on me when times are bad. Believe in this, Mario: my powers are strong…I'm a Star Spirit, after all. Our powers are growing all the time. Keep up the good work, Mario! You must save the other Star Spirits are soon as possible!"

After that, Mamar flew away, back to Star Haven, and Eldstar. The gang waved good-bye and started to head out of the desert, ready for the next chapter in their book of adventure. Once their trek back to Kolorado was over (they gave him the artifact), Mario found a Stone Block back on Mt. Rugged. He naturally broke it, and the path led to yet another Super Block. Goombario ran for it yet again, but Parakarry was already there. The Goomba sat down and cried as Parakarry entered the Super Rank club.

"NO! I'll never level up!" he pouted.

"When everyone is more powerful than you, then you probably will!" Link said with semi-assurance. He looked to Kirby for backup, but Kirby was staring off into space. "Kirby? Are you okay?"

"Wha? Oh. Yeah. Fine…I guess I just want my soul partner…" Kirby admitted. "No offense Kooper, but you cramp my style…"

"…None taken?"

Link understood and walked next to Kirby. "Yeah, that's how I felt before I met Bombette. I bet you'll find someone who you'll become attached to." Bombette laughed and nodded at the same time.

Kirby jumped up, asked "What are we waiting for?", and headed for the train station. One little word about the train station was enough to make everyone except Kirby and Parakarry go mad! It would be even _more _crowded this time! Goombario let out a cry of agony.

"So…many…nightmares…about…Link's butt…" He mumbled.

"Would you like to walk instead?" Link asked sarcastically.

"YES! See ya in ten hours!" Goombario called, automatically trotting off.

Link broke out into a smile as he hopped into a seat. Bombette sat on his lap again with Kirby trying to squish between them and the window, where Goombario originally sat. Mario and Kooper sat in what available room was left. Parakarry simply decided to just sit on the roof. He could fly, but not as fast as the train. The driver raised an eyebrow at the awkward seating, but started the train up anyway. After a good half hour was when Link saw Goombario.

"Hey! Look at Goombario!" Link called. Bombette, Kirby, and Kooper looked out the window. Goombario was trudging onward. He glanced up at his snickering friends and tried to run faster. He tripped, making Link burst out laughing and smacked Kirby in the face.

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

"Ugh, this is so BORING!"

"I just…can't breathe…"

Kooper passed out once again.

"What a drama queen. Runs out of a little air and faints. Wimp."

"YO KARRY? HOW YA DOING?"

"…FINE! OH! GOOMBARIO JUST FELL DOWN A HOLE!"

"Oh that's RICH…I need a camera…"

"I think I have one…"

"MY BACK!"

Mario: Not again…

Mario continued to groan as the rest of the gang either complained or laughed at Goombario. The train finally came to a stop in Toad Town once again, but the gang had to wait.

**Ten Hours later-**

Goombario crawled alongside the tracks, eventually climbing on to the station where the party was in a deep sleep. He groaned and shouted,

"I'M HERE! GET UP!"

The heroes sprang up instantly and assumed fighting stances. When they saw it was only Goombario, they moaned. Mario yawned and groggily led the gang out of the port.

"Hmph, way to wake us up," Bombette complained before yawning.

Goombario stated, "It was for the best."

"Not really…" murmured Link and Kirby.

Just then, there was a wail of terror and the gang looked around, alarmed. A Toad with a spear, apparently guarding the area, was freaking out in his guard station. Mario went over to him at once.

"Brrrrr…Juh…Just now, a ghost passed right in front of me…" he trembled."Uhh…You saw it, didn't you?"

"I don't think we saw a ghost…" Link trailed.

"Nope! If we did, Goombario would be having an episode!" Kirby assured.

"WHAT!" cried Goombario. The ghost appeared behind the gang and the Toad freaked out. But when they turned around, nothing was there. The Toad saw it on the other side, yet when everyone turned, they still saw nothing.

"O-okay…quit creeping us out!" ordered Kooper.

"It went into the forest!" the Toad exclaimed.

Mario: ?

"Mario, this madness has to end! Will you go into the forest and see what's going on?" asked the guard in a shaky voice. "I'm ashamed to say it's my job, but I just can't go. I'm frightened of ghosts! Please, I'm begging you!"

Mario knew he would be nerve shot forever if they didn't go in, but they needed to find the third Star Spirit, and Twink hadn't arrived to inform them of any news.

"Well…" Kirby began, as if he had read Mario's mind. "Maybe if we go into the forest, we'll find out about the next Star Spirit. It's at least a place to start…"

"I sure hope you're right- I don't want to just do this to be a ghost buster," replied Kooper.

After a small discussion, they all agreed, and Mario and his team ventured into the dark unknown…


	21. Why It's Called Forever Forest

Paper Mario X

Chapter 20: Why It's Called Forever Forest

_The bright, peaceful, lush green path quickly turn to purple dirt and the sky went near black. A deep, dark, seemingly never-ending forest stretched on an on, not knowing if there was another side. That's probably how it got its name. It went forever. The darkness eventually engulfed you if you stayed too long, and you'd go mad trying to get out by running in endless circles. Some say there was a secret of how to navigate it and find a hidden valley, but they were just __rumors__. Whoever entered the forest, most likely never came out again…and they were all alone…in the __**dark**__…_

. . .

"WAH! Quit telling scary stories! That's s-so not true…" Goombario whined.

Link scoffed and folded his arms. "Hey, I'm just trying to get you prepared in case we get trapped in here…and you're stuck with me…"

The thought made Goombario shake violently. Mario shook his head at Link, who simply grinned sheepishly. Suddenly, the ghost that the guard had seen appeared, and before Goombario could run away, the Boo approached Mario.

He looked Mario dead in the eye, filling him with a sense of dread, coming closer and closer, and then he said…

"Pardon me, sir…would you happen to be Mario? How do you do, sir?"

"Just fine, old chap. My life is simply smashing!" Kirby replied with a thick accent. Link flicked the back of his head. The Boo made a face and returned his attention to Mario who was hiding a snicker.

"My master wishes to see you. If you would, please call on us at the mansion on the far side of Forever Forest. My master would also like me too add that she has in her possession important news regarding the Star Spirits."

Mario: Star Spirits?

"Master?" wondered Link.

"HER?" gawked Kirby.

"Please make haste! We will await your arrival with a warm welcome." Then he suddenly went deranged. "And if you don't come…we'll GET you! **BOO**!"

Goombario screamed bloody murder and sprinted off until he tripped over a stick. Everyone else shrieked in surprise except Mario; He was dancing around in fear.

"Just when I thought that ghost was somewhat civil…" Kirby moaned, slowly heading deeper into the forest along with everyone else...

. . .

"It's even darker…" Bombette whispered, staying close to Link.

"I'm allergic to the night!" Kooper wailed.

"Shhh! You don't want to wake up a bear, a bat, or something!" warned Kirby.

"Oh my!" chirped Link. Kooper just rolled his eyes.

"…oh, _that_ makes me feel better!"

"You're welcome!" Kirby replied happily.

"…sarcasm."

"Oh."

Mario pushed a branch out of the way, but when Goombario went to go back, it wouldn't budge.

"I knew it! We are going to get trapped in here! We'll become cannibals! Goombario will be the first to get eaten because of his mushroom flavor…hmm, I _have_ been trying to get the recipe for Koopa Tea and Paraturtle soup…yum!" Link babbled.

"You're…not going to eat me right?" Bombette asked cautiously.

"Ha! We couldn't eat you; you're a bomb! You not even the slightest bit of edible!"

"Besides, I'd probably taste better than you would…" Goombario boasted.

"Are you saying I'd taste horrible?" Bombette snared.

"No, he's saying I'd taste better than all of you!" Kirby snickered.

"Yeah right! You're probably chewy!"

"Well, at least I would have some edible quality, unlike you!"

"You're mad!"

"I still taste better!"

"I'd taste better in a Swiss and Mushroom melt than you would in a Chewy Bar _on the curb! _With a _**K**_!"

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

Mario thundered down his Quake Hammer to get everyone to knock it off. He then told them to decide if they go to the right or the left.

"That's easy! We go the RIGHT way!" Link chortled. Kirby and Bombette rolled on the ground in a giggle fest while Kooper and Parakarry managed a chuckle. Mario and Goombario groaned loudly and went left.

"Looks like they LEFT!" Kirby snorted and the laughter continued. The partners finally ceased chuckles and followed him. When they reached Mario, he and Goombario were in the middle of a fight with a Piranha Pack, three in all.

"This is a Piranha Plant. Piranha Plants pop out of the ground at unexpected moments, so be on your guard. You've seen 'em in every one of your adventures, so I imagine you know 'em pretty well," Goombario told Mario. "Their sharp jaws point upward, so you'll get bitten if you try to jump on 'em. They smile after biting people. That smug smile...it makes me hopping mad!"

"Hey, don't start the fun without us," Kirby said as he and the rest of the gang showed up. Goombario just scoffed.

"Well, look who decided to arrive!"

"Better late than never!" Bombette chirped.

"And I definitely agree with that," chuckled Parakarry.

"Whatever. These Piranhas have five HP, an attack of three, and no defense. Make it quick."

Mario decided to make this battle easier by using his new Star Power, Lullaby. He called upon Mamar, who descended briefly form Star Haven to use her powers to put the trio of Piranhas to sleep. Now that they were immobile, Mamar left the group as Parakarry slammed into the first one of them with Shell Shot. The plants slept through their turn, allowing Link and Bombette to go next. Link hacked at the second Piranha, which Bombette finished off with Bomb. Still sleeping, the last Piranha was forced to feel a combination of Kirby's hammer and Kooper's shell. Not standing a chance, the final Piranha was felled and the victory was theirs.

"Well, that _was_ quick," Goombario stated, impressed.

Now with the battle finished, they tried to make their way through the forest by going left…and left…and left…and left…

"We're going in a freaking circle!"

"We can see that."

Mario went through a branch that was in front of a few smiling flowers, which disturbed half of the members of the team. Once they reach the next area, a strange, short, round man with a beard and long hair stared at them with beady little eyes.

"Hmm…what do you think you're doing?" he asked in a deep foresty voice.

"Trying to not to die!" cried Goombario.

"Trying not to get lost!"

"Trying not to get eaten!"

"Trying not to wet my pants!"

He grunted and jumped off his perch in front of Mario. "This is Forever Forest. The path ahead of here is extremely dangerous. Didn't you know that? You'd better go back."

"WHO ARE YOU? WHY WON'T YOU LET US THROUGH? ARE YOU ONE OF OUR ENEMIES IN DISGUISE?" Kirby shouted. He leaped onto the creature and started yanking on the "wig". Then man danced about trying to get Kirby off. Kirby hung tight, still yanking for some part of disguise. Link had to restrain Kirby so the man could breathe.

"Let us through!" Kirby demanded.

"Not after _that_ performance!"

The group groaned and turned back. They went through another branch, only to see it led them back to where they started.

"We are doomed!" Parakarry yelped.

"Link's gonna eat us!" Goombario sobbed.

They had no choice but to return back to the man. When Mario explained why they had to go (while Link and Kooper held Kirby back), the creature let them pass without a fight.

"Listen carefully. If you want to get through this forest, you have to pay really close attention to your surroundings. If you choose the wrong paths, you'll end up back at the forest edge before you know it. The areas around the correct paths will look slightly different from the others. Watch carefully for clues."

Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Kirby shivered and huddled together, then they all scooted away from Goombario.

"For example, in this area, take a good look at the inner trees as you walk around. In one of them, you'll spot strange, glowing eyes. The exit near that tree is the path you'll want to take. These clues will be different in other parts of the forest. Watch the inner forest very, very, carefully as you go." The forest man wished them luck with a nod, then hopped away.

"We'd better n-not take a wrong path…" Kooper chattered.

"We'd get lost!" Bombette snapped.

"You guys! Quit dwelling on getting lost and focus on actually getting out of here!" Kirby requested. "Let's go find the clue of this part, okay?"

"Yeah." "O-okay…" "Whatever!"

Before they could find it though, they pummeled a few green Fuzzies.

"Ack! Not MORE Fuzzies," winced Kooper, not enjoying the sight of a variation of his arch nemesis.

"These Forest Fuzzies are a little different than normal Fuzzies," Goombario explained. "Forest Fuzzies are always green. If they grab hold of you, they'll absorb your HP and add it to their own. The fiends! Those no good... Oh! And they sometimes divide. If they divide they become even stronger, so try to beat 'em before they can split."

"They can split now?" gaped Link as Mario bashed the first of the three with his hammer.

"Yup," Goombario replied. "They're HP is also six instead of three, but their attack and defense are still one and zero, respectively."

Parakarry finished the first one off with Shy Dive, while the other two forest Fuzzies came in and bit Mario, taking away his HP even though they didn't need it. Link slashed through the next one while Bombette used a simple body slam, taking care of THAT one. The last Fuzzy then divided into two, causing a wave of disappointment. Kirby used his Final Cutter on the copied Fuzzy, effectively doing it in, followed up by a Shell Slam from Kooper to get rid of the last one for good.

"I see the scary…blood red…beeping eyes…" Kooper moaned.

"Then let's go!" Link urged, ushering them even deeper into the forest.

They couldn't find the clue in the next place, causing Goombario to flip. Mario then pushed through the bushes to find the little man in the middle of it all. He just repeated the same thing so Mario left before he was even finished. Bombette thought she found the clue, which was a bush of flowers that looked different than the others. Mario and Link decided she was right and went down that path.

"How many more of these are there? I don't think I'll last much longer!" Kirby shivered.

"Tough it out Kirby!" Link scoffed. He walked around casually, trying to find the odd one of the trees. He stared at one for a while when it suddenly donned a red, horrid, monster face. It was only there for a brief moment, but it was still enough to have Link nearly suffer a heart attack. He jumped rather high before crashing onto the ground and squirming away from the tree. Kirby, Parakarry, and Goombario snickered while Bombette helped him up.

"I'm scarred now…" he murmured while they dragged him down the path by said tree. Goombario couldn't help but chortle.

"Shut up, Goombario! At least he doesn't cry for his mommy when he's afraid of the dark!" snapped Bombette. Goombario shut up.

They all walked around in the next area for the longest time, trying to figure out what was different. During this time, Mario had located another Bub-ulb, who gave Mario a light blue seed. With Mario's pink one, Kirby's dark blue one, and now that one, the group had a total of three seeds, but Mario still couldn't figure out their importance.

Eventually, Kirby noted one tree had more things around it than the others. He shot a smug look at Link, who turned away.

"C'mon! I swear that tree had a face on it too!"

"There wasn't even a hole in that tree for a face to appear in!"

"…so? !"

. . .

"It…lasts forever!" gaped Bombette, groaning at the sight of even more forest ahead of them.

"No wonder it's called Forever Forest! We'll be searching for the right path for endless years, and by the time we even get close to the mansion, we'll be old and crippled and wrinkled-"

"Knock it off Kirby!" Link growled.

"Well…what _would_ happen to us then, Link?"

"I don't want to think about it. Hopefully the worst that will happen is that we get lost and are all separated…"

"HOW IS_ THAT_ BETTER?"

"We don't die!"

"…good point."

While they were discussing the matter in an argumental way, Mario, Goombario, Kooper, and Parakarry were hunting through the bushes determined to find something different. Mario found out that one bush had an altered reaction than the others and guided the gang down that way. Link, Bombette, and Kirby would've been left, forgotten, and lost if Bombette didn't hear Goombario's cry of terror. They quickly ran after them, fortunately going the correct way. Once they caught up, the other four were reading a sign that told them where the mansion was. The entire team let out cries of joy and darted away before a deranged Forest Fuzzy could go in for a kill!

"Forget what I said! I DON'T TASTE GOOD! I'm at the top of the Food Chain! Or maybe the bottom..." Kirby wailed.

Everyone groaned. Kirby was downright impossible. What were they going to do with him?


	22. Ghost in the Halls

Paper Mario X

Chapter 21: Ghosts in the Halls

There was the mansion, big as life. The group had to stop and gawk. Kirby whistled. They went up the crooked pass into the front yard.

"Oh finally! I couldn't stand being in that spooky forest another minute!" Bombette sighed. "I'm positive that's the mansion that creepy old ghost was telling us about."

"No really? What's if it's that OTHER giant mansion at the end of the forest?" Goombario snorted. He caught Link out of the corner of his eye and he went numb. "Well there was no reason to point out the obvious, Bombette…"

"I'm not going to respond…" Bombette grunted.

As the last man entered the Iron Gate, it slammed shut. The Old Boo they saw before was now floating in front of the door.

"Welcome sirs…and madam!" Bombette giggled at his addition. "I'm pleased you made it through Forever Forest!"

"So are we…" Kooper murmured.

"My master awaits you in the room highest up in this lovely mansion." They all looked up and saw a tower of rooms. Kirby let out a roar of "You're kidding!"

"Please go to the third floor. There you will hear all the news of the Star Spirits. I'll see you there…" With those words, the servant was gone in a fade. Everyone felt cold after that. Mario shivered and pushed the doors to the mansion open. The first thing Kirby saw was a couch and he needed to sit down. That was a really bad thing when the couch propelled him onto the chandelier. The group either laughed or gasped at Kirby hanging on for dear life with his short nubs for arms. Eventually, the chandelier started to go down and a hidden door was revealed. The pink puff let go and stormed over with the rest of the group on his heels.

"Kirby! This is no time to be hanging around!" Link snickered. Kirby went red.

"Let's just get this over with!" grunted Kirby. "It's not my fault I needed a seat…"

Mario agreed and went through the door Kirby discovered. However, by the time he got there, the dresser that was blocking it had slid back in front of the door. The plumber groaned and decided to head up some stairs instead. The first door they came to had a single Boo in its room.

"I am so bored. Boo-red! I know Lady Bow ordered me to stay here… but for how long?" he moaned.

"Lady Bow? Hm….she sounds nice," Kirby decided. Mario discovered a phonograph on the other side of the room, but it needed a record to put into it. He made a mental note to find one and ushered his friends out. Link took over and entered the room next door. He noticed a long row of dressers and tried to open one, but it ended up crushing him instead. Goombario had a field day. When Link shoved the death trap off him, he set out to get Goombario. Bombette told him not now and set to open the dresser in the middle. 8-10 Boos sprung out and circled around the room.

"Holy!" she yelped as the Boos knocked her down. Bombette got back up and went to glare, but was too mesmerized by the Boo in the middle holding a record above his head.

"Isn't t hat for the phonograph in the other room?" Link pondered. Mario nodded, and told to Boo to hand it over.

"Mario…If you want this record you must guess who holds it…" he said in a whoosh. Mario, Link, and Kirby became alert and paid attention. "The Lady Boo will be very angry if we let him get it too easily, fellow Boos! Do your best, like we practiced!"

"They practiced?!" cried Kirby.

The Boos then danced around, with the Main One plopping the record into one if their hands. Kirby got dizzy and lost count. Mario and Link kept their eyes on it.

"Hey, hey! Boos and Boos! Who's got it? Choose Choose!" The Boo sang. Mario waited for the one that had the record and bashed him on the head. The record popped out and landed on the rug.

"Nooo! Boo hoo!" the Boo sobbed. "You…you guessed right. Go on, take this. Oh boo…Lady Boo's really going to flip out on us…"

Mario nodded and snagged the record. The Boos pouted and disappeared. Leaving their memory behind, the heroes returned to the room with the phonograph. Mario placed the record in and the music started. He cranked the handle at the right moment and the song was somewhat catchy. Kirby started dancing around to the sound while the rest groaned. He was embarrassing. Kirby boogied over to the single Boo who was rocking too. Just as he did, Mario shut the music off.

"Oh boo…is that…the end? I was just starting to bust out my best dance moves!" he whined.

"I feel you brother. Mario! Music! Chop chop!" Kirby ordered. Mario grunted and sulked back over to the music maker. Once the beat picked up, Kirby and the Boo "went fresh". The ghost did the "spook" while Kirby spun around in a ball on the floor. Link, Goombario, and Kooper moaned at the sight. Eventually, the Boo was so addicted to the music; he ditched Kirby and headed closer. With the ghost distracted, Link ran over and pulled a weight out of the chest he was guarding.

The Boo then realized he had been bam**BOO**zled. Heh heh...oh my god. "Lady Bow gave me one job…to guard that treasure chest. She is gonna punish me so bad if she finds out about this! Oh well…I may still be okay…heh heh heh heh heh! It's not like you can get anywhere without knowing what to do with that weight." The Boo vanished into thin air while Kooper dragged a still jamming Kirby out the door. Mario ended up having a conversation with a frame down the hall. In order to go to the third floor, they had to find what was missing from it. Mario knew he had to focus on the weight issue first…and I don't mean _his_ weight issue…

"Okay! I think the weight has something to do with the chandelier!" Link explained. "If we use it, it might keep it on the floor so we can get through that one door!"

"Good thinking!" Bombette stated. "The thing is, where do we put the weight on the chandelier and how?"

"I'm not that smart!"

"Oh please!"

Link and Bombette fought over the issue while Kirby sulked and dragged the weight over to the couch springboard. He catapulted himself onto the light fixture, pulled it down, and then attached the weight. It stayed.

"Yes! Let's go!" Kirby cheered.

The gang agreed and quickly headed into the room where a single chest lay. Naturally, Link kicked it open. The chandelier above them nearly knocked Link out. Luckily, he ducked at the last moment.

"Okay, I've had enough…"

"So a booby trap almost killed you, it could be worse!"

Link gave a look at Kirby. Kirby shrugged. Mario motioned toward a stairway and began to head down. It went to a basement of some sort, but they way it looked was all too suspicious. Either way, they still ventured through the back door. Going as far as they could, they found a large chest in the corner. Mario eagerly opened it, and…another circle of Boos sprang out. The Main One appeared with the Super Boots on his head.

"Mario…welcome. If you want these boots, you must guess who holds them."

"Great. Another game of hide-and-seek," Link mumbled as Kirby tried out his swallow move on a ghost. Once he was Boo Kirby, he floated around, laughing. The pack sighed loudly as Link and Mario focused on the ghost with the boots. To their surprise, the Boos tossed the boots to one another. Kirby giggled and entered the circle. The prize finally stopped being thrown and Mario and Link were so mind-boggled they lost track. Kirby began to cackle as he returned to his normal self, boots in hand.

"You idiots! You couldn't tell that…thing from your own kind! Now Mario has the boots!" the Main One shouted.

"Now Mario can do the Spin Jump!" exclaimed Link randomly. After the episode, the ghosts left and Mario used his new Spin Jump to break a hole in the ground, which was covered by a wooden board. They fell into a much-trashed room. Link spotted a store with Super Shrooms and Maple syrup. Bombette couldn't stop him before he went on a spree. He also tasted a Life Shroom.

"Hmm…it really wakes you up!" Link shrugged. He dunked the Super Shroom in the Maple Syrup, making everyone gag as he bit into it. "Don't knock it 'til you try it!"

Mario tried to buy a few items, but the Boo guarding the store wouldn't let him because he was Mario. The red capped hero grunted, yet backed off anyway. He turned his attention to a switch, which activated another switch, that when hit made a large switch fall. It was bigger than Link! Poor little Mario had to jump on a chair, then on a stack on books on a block just to get on top of it. He used Spin Jump and caused some stairs to build. The group silently cheered as they climbed up. They made their way back to the main room, lost and confused. Mario then remembered there was a floor panel in one of the bottom rooms and went there. He Spin Jumped, fell, and landed on a bookshelf.

"Why would it lead here?" inquired Goombario.

"Because this room happened to be below the one we fell down! DUH!" Link scoffed.

Parakarry spotted something on a distant shelf and flew Mario over to it. It was the missing Boo painting.

"Third floor, here we come!" Mario thought to himself. They jumped off the shelf and Link had Bombette blast a hole in the wall. It led back to the suspicious room. Winding their way back up to where Mario saw the painting, Kirby placed it delicately back in the frame. He let out a gasp when the painting began to talk.

"Phew…Ah, it feels nice to be back inside my frame after so long. All right then. I'll help you go to the third floor okay? Jump toward the drawing and I'll do the rest," he explained.

"This reminds me of that one show with the animated dog and the old guy! Um…Ace's Traces! Yeah! They'd jump into painting after singing some weird song!" Kirby babbled. When he finished babbling, he noticed everyone was on the top floor. "WAIT UP!"

Kirby floated up into the painting and appeared next to his pals.

"Say hello to Bow for me!" the painting asked.

"Sure!" Kirby assured. He waddled to catch up who entered the RIGHT door…heh. He ran into Link who was gawking at the sight. The blue velvet, well designed, room was some eye candy. The moment was interrupted by a cackle.

"Gwah HEE HAHA! You finally arrived. You took your sweet time huh?" Kirby was enchanted by the sweet, soft sound of the voice. "I was testing you to see if you live up to your reputation. How were the tests? Tough?"

"For me? Naw…" Kirby boasted. Link raised and eyebrow and guffawed. Kirby made a face. Suddenly, a pretty, green Boo with two bows appeared with the creepy servant. Her eyes sparkled like they held a secret, her smile was smug as if it knew something, and…well, for some people she was downright awesome.

Kirby fainted with one glance.

* * *

**Hee hee...I let my sister write the last part, and she wouldn't let me change any of it, though I am pretty pleased. Why didn't I write it? Well, I was kinda on a deadline for that week, but I had a place to go, So I shrugged and said Why Not. I told her what the next big thing was, and she decided to make it very dramatic...ha ha, as if. R&R!**

**P.S. My goal is to get 30 reviews this time around. Then maybe, juuuuuuusssstttt maybe, I'll celebrate with the next chapter! Anyone up for this _difficult_ challange? Dun dun duh...;D**


	23. The Present with a Bow

Paper Mario X

**Yay! 30 reviews!!!!! That really made MY day, that's for sure. And to celebrate I'm posting up the next chapter! And...because the last chapter AND this chapter are a bit short, it's only fair not to make you wait for something so insignificant...**

* * *

Chapter 22: The Present with a Bow

Kirby jolted awake, thanks to the scent of…you don't want to know. He swatted Link away to regain his stance. He bowed and apologized to Bow.

"It's fine dear. It certainly not the first time I've gotten that reaction…" Bow giggled. Kirby began to grin like a fool. She returned to Mario.

"My name is Bow…I'm glad to finally meet you. I just didn't expect…friends." Link cringed while Kirby posed.

"I'm Bootler, the butler. I'm Lady Bow's humble servant," Creepy servant Ghost explained.

"The reason I asked you here is that I need a favor. Bootler, give him the rundown," commanded Bow. Bootler nodded. He coughed, then began.

"Of course, my lady. Mario, do you know the area near here called Gusty Gulch? A hill rises at the top of the gulch, and upon it sits the castle of Tubba Blubba. He's a monster…and he eats…**us**! **_Ghosts_**!"

Everyone gasped except Kirby, who collapsed on the ground.

"Boos are his favorite food. Many friends have been eaten! We've tried attacking the evil fiend to save our friends, but Tubba Blubba is far to strong for us Boos to slow him down even slightly. He seems invincible. That's why he's known as the Invincible Tubba Blubba."

Kirby shivered.

"Wow…" commented Kooper.

"You guys are practically doomed!" Goombario piped. Everyone stared at him with disappointed looks until he shriveled into a little ball. Bootler sadly smiled.

"There is hope, however. If the rumors are true, then Tubba Blubba has a secret that he closely guards. And that secret is…" Everyone leaned in. "…probably something that relates to his weak point." Everyone fell.

"So, Mario…and friends…I want you to find out his secret and defeat him. You'll do it, won't you?" Bow asked. Kirby sprang up instantly.

"Of course we will save your kingdom. It would be my honor…"

Link groaned, "It's not like she's a princess!" and Mario elbowed him.

"Well _I_ think she is!"

"_You just met her fool!"_

Bow slightly smiled. "Of course, you'll get a reward for doing us this service. If you beat Tubba Blubba up, I'll let you have this." She summoned down a cage with a Star Spirit in it. Everyone gasped again and Mario couldn't believe she was holding it hostage!

"Mmmmmm…Mario…I'm sorry we must meet in such a dire situation. My name is Skolar. I escaped from Tubba Blubba's castle but…I was in quite a weakened state when I made it outside. As a result, I couldn't go back to the sky at first. I tried to head for Shooting Star Summit to make the leap to Star Haven, but I became lost in the forest. While hunting for a way out, I was captured by Boos. And now here I am…I don't know what to say."

"That's a mouthful," said Kooper.

"What do you think Mario? Not such a bad deal, is it?" Bow stated slyly. "You would have had to fight Tubba Blubba anyway to save this Star Spirit right? This way, you help us Boos too."

"I'd still help even if it wasn't for the Star Spirit!" Kirby told her.

"Like it matters!" Link scoffed. Kirby scowled.

"Besides, I'm going with you." Kirby passed out yet again. "I'll help you like no one else can." Bow fanned away her excitement with her bright pink fan and laughed.

"Okay, but by the looks of it, you'll be Kirby's soul partner…" Parakarry explained.

"I don't mind. He just has to quit going into a shock with every word I say!" smirked Bow, with a smug look. Kirby stood up at once.

"Yay! Another girl!" Bombette cheered.

Bootler was guffawed. "…my lady?" he started, his eyes bugging out. "What did you say just now? You? At Tubba Blubba's castle? Out of the question! I simply cannot allow you put yourself in such danger!"

"Still your tongue, Bootler! I've seen too much suffering caused by Tubba Blubba! I wish to see him punished with my own two eyes!" Bow roared. "Besides, Mario…and Kirby…will need me. There's no way he can reach the castle without my powers!"

Bootler had a spasm. "Oh…alas…Then, Lady, I, Bootler, will accompany you. It is my sworn duty to see that no harm befalls you. The ancestors demand it! I will be at your side always."

"That's so sweet!" gushed Bombette.

Bow wasn't going to take it. Her eyes went deep black, and morphed into a shape indescribable. Her mouth whooshed open with her small fangs poking out. The entire gang (but Kirby) could've cried at the sight. Kirby thought it was one of her good features.

"You stop that nonsense! I'm not a child anymore! I'll be fine by myself! You wait here for my return!"

If she had a foot, she'd probably put it down.

"La…lady…sigh…" Bootler sighed. Bow made a noise before gliding down her soft steps. She gave a pleading look to Mario.

"Is this all right Mario?" she wondered. "I'll join up with you until we oust Tubba Blubba." Kirby's face fell.

"You won't stay with us?" he murmured silently.

"I can't dear. Tubba Blubba shouldn't be taken lightly, and yet here I am. I also can't keep Bootler waiting forever…"

Kirby smiled weakly. Might as well enjoy it while it lasted. "All right. Kooper, you're a left over again…" Kooper waved to show it was cool. He told Bow she would have to follow him at all times and she nodded.

"Okay then! Tubba Blubba's going down!" she cheered while clutching a fan.

"Is that the end of any conversation? My brain hurts from taking it all in," complained Goombario.

Bow agreed and they left the mansion in a huff. They took a quick turn to the right of the mansion and set off.

~*^*~

The sky was still dark, and the area was still forest like. On the other side of a gate though, was golden ground. It was better then black, and Mario suddenly stopped. Bow made Kirby jump when she suddenly said, "Go ahead. Open it."

Two Boos appeared out of thin air and opened the gates for them. Everyone didn't see that coming. They sky blazed a yellow orange once the gates were open. It made a few squint.

"So, Mario, we're on our way. Are you scared?" Bow mocked slightly.

"Heck no!" shouted Kirby.

"Heck yes if we need to be!" Goombario cried. Bow shrugged. Mario just kept walking. The new lands were a blinding gold, yet it didn't stop enemies from fighting. A Hyper Paragoomba quickly attacked without hesitation. Mario killed it in two moves. Kirby murmured about letting someone else get a turn. They fought a few more Hyper Goombas of all types and passed a locked Windmill (how suspicious!) before the trouble began…

* * *

**NOW the fun officially starts! You know how filler chapters are...guh. Anyway, complain how short it is, stated how you can't wait to see what happens next...all in a review! ;D**

**Next Time-**

**The gang sets off for Gusty Gulch, with Kirby already trying to impress the fabulous Bow. But when someone rears their ugly head a bit early, tensions fly...**


	24. Tubba Blubba's Last Snack

Paper Mario X

Chapter 23: Tubba Blubba's Last Snack

Kirby couldn't help but stare at Bow. She was so…luring. The bet thing about all of this was that _she_ was following _him_. How could he stare while she was behind him? He had ways. Kirby slowly faded away into his own world... It wasn't until he heard a scream that he realized they were in the next area. A Boo was floating about, minding his own business. He spotted Lady Bow and floated over, much to the rage of Kirby.

"Oh Lady Bow! What a surprise, meeting you!" he exclaimed. Kirby boiled until Link dumped some honey Syrup on him. Bombette scolded him for wasting more items. "You know, your Ladyship, you really shouldn't come around here. It's dangerous! Tubba Blubba could come here anytime!"

"That's why I'm protecting her!" Kirby assured. The Boo gave a look that said "You? She's a Goner…" The pink puff growled.

"I know! I came to teach that Tubba Blubba a lesson!" Bow explained. "Bring him on! When was the last time he came over here?"

"Why, just yesterday Lady! It was horrible…He…ugh…This time, he…ate Herbert-"

"NOT HERBERT!" wailed Parakarry randomly.

"Oh! It was gruesome! Oh, poor Herbert! He was so dark and depressing! What a terrific Boo!"

"Oh no! Not Herbert! Ooh…Tubba Blubba…he must be stopped…" Bow moaned. She was about to add to that, but Kirby somehow figured out what she was about to say.

"Listen everyone! Don't fear! We're on our way to defeat this Tubba Blubba once and for all! That monster has eaten his last Boo-meal!" they said at the same time. Bow gave a look to Kirby who blushed.

"Oh! Lady Bow! Your bravery is inspiring! But you know he's called the Invincible Tubba Blubba…please be careful, okay?"

Bow nodded, and Kirby dragged her away. They passed more ghosts that waved to Bow, making Kirby turned green with envy. More patrons gasped at Bow's presence. Just before Kirby had an episode, another Boo floated over. Mario tried to shoo him away, but it didn't work.

"Hello there! You're going to beat Tubba Blubba right?" he asked. Mario nodded. "Yeah! Get revenge! He'll never eat another Boo again! Never! Especially not…"

The Boo couldn't finish his rant because the ground started to shake. Goombario and Kooper yelped while Bombette huddled against Link, causing him to pick her up. Parakarry and Mario tried to stand their ground. Kirby tried to scoot over to Bow, but she pushed him away.

"Oh! Oh no! Tubba Blubba's coming! Everybody hide!" the Boo cried. "Lady Bow! You have to hide Mario…and friends."

Bow instantly agreed and told Mario to use her power at that moment. Mario did and she grabbed Kirby, who gripped Link, who everyone else touched, and they vanished from sight. They all shrieked when Tubba Blubba thundered his way down the path. Bow told them all to shush or they'd be busted. The Boo that floated up to them was still yapping at Bow, not noticing Tubba Blubba stomping over to him. He was the only visible Boo. The gang wanted to tell him so much, but they'd be goners too. He turned around and saw the monster behind him.

"Er…"

Tubba Blubba raised an arm and squeezed the poor creature in his fist.

"Mmmmm…looks yummy! I needed a snack!" Tubba bellowed. He placed the Boo on his tongue, popped it into his mouth, and began to chew. Kooper passed out, Goombario up-chucked on Link, Link let out a silent scream before choking him, Bombette hid her face in Kirby instead, Kirby shielded Bow's eyes while his grew, and Bow shed a tear of her dear friend loss.

"Urp…a little tangy, but good." Tubba Blubba stated.

"How DARE he call him tangy!" Bow shouted in her head. Tubba burped again before tromping off. All the Boos reappeared once he was gone.

"Oh! Stanley!" one cried. "Oh, the horror of it all…"

"Stanley?" Kirby wondered.

"That poor soul!" Bombette wept.

"I'M A POOR SOUL! I don't know what was worse, the monster, the snack being eaten, or Goombario blowing chunks on me!" Link hissed.

"I'm sorry! That was too much!" said Goombario.

"We can return visible now…" stated Parakarry.

"No! Make it last!" Kirby pleaded.

Bow sighed and stopped using her power by letting go of Kirby. A glance at Link made them change their minds. He turned red from embarrassment and darted off to change. Goombario knew he was going to get it. Kirby comforted Bow while she sobbed over Stanley.

"Such a courageous Boo…" she sniffed.

"Did he have the Tri-force of Courage?" Link scoffed when he came back.

"I don't see when it works for you!" Goombario snickered. He was already in enough trouble; what did he have to lose? Link chased him psychotically down the path and Mario quickly followed. When they caught up, Link was torturing Goombario by bashing his head on a Hyper Cleft. He was near zero until Mario fed him a mushroom and Bombette blew up the fiend. Bombette and Mario scolded them both before continuing on. Parakarry cheered when he found another letter in a bush and stuffed it into his bag.

* * *

Between battling Hyper Enemies, Parakarry helping his pals cross a gap, and Link hitting a mystery block for another Super Shroom, Mario and co. reached the castle of Tubba Blubba.

"Well that wasn't too hard…" Bow admitted.

"So? Tubba Blubba's in there! He's gonna take some salt and pepper and have a field day!" Goombario moaned. Mario shook his head and entered. Strange U.F.O. things with tentacles were floating around. They spotted them, attached themselves to the party's head, and kicked them out.

"So much for that happy ending…" muttered Link.

"Oh yeah , like that creature was going to let someone waltz right through his door to discover his secret!?" Kirby grunted. Bow touched him to calm down and he melted immediately.

"Mario…if they catch us, they'll kick us out of the castle," Goombario observed.

"no need to state the obvious, Mushroom Man!" Bombette mocked. Goombario glared.

"You can always use my power!" Bow stated smugly. Kirby grinned. Mario nodded and trotted back inside. He inched toward the left door (with a joke from Link) and Bow used her power to hide everyone from being kicked out. Once safe inside the room, there was a guard sleeping. Kirby laughed and swallowed him, causing him to turn into Clubba Kirby. Bow gave him points for that.

"Now I'm one of them!" he whispered. The gang moaned when they found out the guard was blowing a bubble. Mario tried to sneak out the door he was by, but he woke up at the last second, causing Mario to bonk him on the head. When Mario attacked again, he realized there were actually two. Parakarry gave the first one a kick, making its HP fall to two. The first Clubba use its spiky mallet to hit Mario, and the second did the same. Together, it took six away. Kirby stole Link's turn to give them a taste of their own medicine. The first Clubba died, but Bow smacked the other one.

"You gotta admit, that is smoking!" Kirby whispered to Link.

"Focus on the fight!" Link snapped.

He slashed after the Clubba smashed Bow. The clubba collapsed and the battle was won. Mario explored the room, but all he got was a bump on the head when the spring launched him into the ceiling. He left at once and ran into another Clubba. They all walked quietly past him so they wouldn't wake him up. Luckily, it was successful. At the end of the hall was a large door and a small door. Kirby got wise and said they should check the big one first. Mario shrugged and opened the door. A Star Piece was on a Table, but couldn't be accessed. Two guards were in the room, so they had to be sneaky. They waved to Clubba Kirby, who waved back. They though he was taking his group as prisoners. Goombario went berserk and beat up a Clubba, causing everyone to fight too. At least Mario, Link, and Kirby leveled up again. He took BP, Link took HP, and Kirby HP too, and carried on.

"Leveling up is like, the best thing ever!"

"Tell me about it."

Mario shook his head and went through the north door. Stairs led down to a mystery room. A Clubba snored on the next level, forcing them to literally crawl down the steps. Another Clubba sat on the bottom part, and Kirby woke it up. Bow sighed and Kirby tried to make up for it while using the Clubba's own weapon. The Clubba was so shocked to be hit by one of his own that he ran away. Bow nodded in approval, and Kirby cheered while Mario Spin Jumped on a board. Kirby held onto Bow as they fell. The room was dark, and it held a lonely little chest. Link hit his head on the low ceiling when he tried to get it open. Kirby transformed back to his normal form and gladly popped it open. He snagged the key located inside and happily handed it to Mario.

"I think this is for the locked door in the first room," he exclaimed. Mario agreed.

"Now how do we get out of here?" Bow blurted out.

"We have to explore first!" sniped Goombario.

"Just be a little patient Bow…" Kirby trailed.

"My apologizes, being in Tubba Blubba's place gives me chills. I want to leave as fast as we can."

Kirby understood. Mario located a Boo in a secret area of the room. Bow gasped.

"Oh…You're Mario! Nice place huh?" he asked. "As a matter of fact, I came to this castle with my friends to try to find Tubba Blubba's weak point. We managed to find out there's something important hidden in Tubba Blubba's room on the highest floor. But once I got separated from my friends, I just had to hide…but you could go."

"yah! Another special room on the highest floor!" said Link sarcastically.

"First, you need to get to the uppermost floor, then keep going until you find his room. If you happen to run into Tubba Blubba, don't, I repeat, DON'T, fight him. He's invincible! Really! Until you find out his secret weakness you'd better just run away. You got that?"

Kirby finished writing everything down before responding with a "Sure!" Mario thanked him.

"Thank goodness you're okay, fellow Boo!" Bow called before she exited.

"well, yeah…it means a lot coming form Lady Bow…" he replied. Kirby rolled his eyes, grabbed Bow's arm to drag her away, but was smacked in the face by a fan.

"You let go of me! Touch me to pull me away from my own kind again, and I'll smack you into the next millennium!" she hissed, transforming again. Everyone behind Kirby "oohed" and Kirby blushed and apologized. Then they left out a door to the left. A Super Block was the first thing they saw. Goombario and Kirby noticed it at the same time. Goombario was closer, but Link "accidentally" stepped on him. Kirby grabbed Bow.

"This is so uncalled for!" she yelled. "What did I _**just**_ tell you?"

"Just hit that block! Quick!"

"Why?"

"Urgh…"

Kirby told her she would level up and quickly hit the block with her (gently, people). Bow had heard of leveling up, but thought it was a myth. The feeling of gaining power was so strong it made her actually giggle from the ticklishness. Goombario sobbed harder than before. Bow was a Super Ranker. She turned to Kirby.

"That was reckless, harsh, and stupid-" Kirby frowned. "-but thoughtful. Thank you, dear." Bow gave Kirby a quick hug (so soft and fast Kirby almost didn't feel it), making him blush a deeper red than Goombario's anger. Only Bombette saw and she "awwed".

"That was just to say thank you! Don't think of it as anything else!" Bow mumbled. Kirby shrugged and hid a smug grin. They went to catch up with Mario who went on ahead; Mario toppled down the steps as they went to turn up them.

"There's a U.F.O. thing up there!" Parakarry wailed.

Bow floated forward. "Then you'll need to use my power."

"Oh, you and your power! Give it a break!" groaned Goombario.

"Fine! Then I won't make you invisible, the thing will throw you out like the trash you are, and you won't be able to get back inside because I'm not with you!" howled Bow.

"…my actions were unacceptable…"

"Much better!"

When the enemy spotted them, everyone grabbed Kirby as Bow made them hidden from sight. The U.F.O. grumbled as the gang snuck up the next four set of steps. Once they reached the top, Mario pulled open a huge door. It led back to the room with the unreachable Star Piece on the table. They bypassed it and exited the opposite door. Mario and co. trotted down the long hall, went through another big door, and stealthily maneuvered across the room to unlock the other door. The U.F.O.s didn't know what hit them.

"A Clubba!" Kirby cried. He immediately sliced his Final Cutter down on him, leaving the fiend with two. There were three Clubbas in all, but Kirby took care of the first one with his hammer. Bow used her new Spook move to scare them all away, and it made Goombario run too. Another Clubba patrolled the hall, and Link, Bombette, Kirby, and Bow took them down. Mario folded his arms and looked away. He did get a chance to wail on another one (or FOUR) crawling on the stairs.

"This area is heavily guarded…" Bow noticed while delivering the final blow to them all. "BOO!"

Going up ANOTHER round of stairs, a U.F.O. flew about. Bow helped her friends vanish, and then darted to the other end. Link and Kirby quickly pushed Bow and Bombette out of the way of a second one just in front of the door.

"This must be some secret!" scoffed Link.

"Open the door Mario!"

Mario obeyed instantly and ushered the group into the next part. It was a hallway/bridge above the entry room. Quite interesting, but they need to shove onward. The following room contained a sleeping Clubba. They all slid past it slyly. Mario started to head down the hall, but they were stopped by Link and how he found a crack in the wall. Bombette blew it up and they all fought to get through.

* * *

There were three Spin jump Panels. Mario jumped on the one farthest from the door first. He fell in the room with the spring that made him hit his head. Parakarry flew him to the other table, grabbed the D-down Jump Badge, and had to work their way back up to that room. Link, Kirby, and everyone was taking a nap when they returned. Mario shook his head and pointed back out the door. They shrugged and went down the hall (past a U.F.O. and Clubba) and entered a spike filled room. Kirby and Bow used the Ghost's power to work their way over and claimed another castle key.

"Dang. I wanted a prize." Kirby grunted.

Mario groaned and entered yet another large door. Down the winding hallway was a sleeping Clubba guarding the locked door. The group prepared for battle as Mario gave it a mighty bash. With two hits, that first Clubba was history. Goombario and Kooper couldn't fight, and when they looked down, they saw the table with the Star Piece below. They grabbed it, and made their way back around while the others fought.

"HIYAHH!" Parakarry cried as he kicked the next Clubba. The three Clubbas bopped Mario. Bombette used Power Bomb and Link gave Mario a Super Shroom. The Clubbas went to attack Link, but he Superguarded it. Kirby used Final Cutter, and the aftermath wave shock was enough to kill them all off.

Mario hit a Maple Syrup out of a box nearby. Link snagged it, drank it, and thundered up the stairs. In the next hall, the stomping could belong to none other than Tubba Blubba himself. Kirby quickly hid Bow behind him. Bombette took cover behind link, Kooper had a spas attack, and Goombario almost had an accident. Mario, Link, and Kirby stood their ground in front of the monster.

"Mmm…What's this? Sniff sniff…" Tubba Blubba boomed. "I smell something very fishy…"

He continued his romp down the hall. Kirby gripped Bow's hand, even though he didn't realize she was invisible. The monster Blubba came closer until Goombario thought he was going to explode.

* * *

**Hooray! a longer chapter and action!**


	25. The Secret That Comes From the Heart

Paper Mario X

Chapter 24: The Secret that Comes from the Heart

_Previously-_

_In the next hall, the stomping could belong to none other than Tubba Blubba himself. Kirby quickly hid Bow behind him. Bombette took cover behind Link, Kooper had a spas attack, and Goombario almost had an accident. Mario, Link, and Kirby stood their ground in front of the monster._

_"Mmm…What's this? Sniff sniff…" Tubba Blubba boomed. "I smell something very fishy…"_

_He continued his romp down the hall. Kirby gripped Bow's hand, even though he didn't realize she was invisible. The monster Blubba came closer until Goombario thought he was going to explode._

* * *

Mario however, swapped from Parakarry to Goombario to tattle on Tubba Blubba. They were all surprised to find out he only had 10 HP, but his defense was a mystery. The next thing Mario did was run away! They piled out of the room, but Link said they had to get past him. Bow also added that if something went wrong, she would hide them. Mario gave a nod, and then pushed through the door. Tubba Blubba tried to catch them, but he was too slow. The big door at the other side was locked, so they took an alternate route in a small door to the left. At least seven Clubbas were fast asleep in that room. Goombario gasped, but Kooper slammed his hand over his mouth to keep him from waking them all up. Mario walked quietly to get the key while everyone else thought it would be safer to stay by the door. Kirby realized they could have used Parakarry to fly over there and get the key. Heads were smacked.

"We are dumb."

Link smacked Goombario as Mario grabbed the key, but the sound of the smack woke all the Clubbas up. The partners screamed and ran out the door. They prepared to escape through the other door, untillthey remembered it was locked. What made tmhe nearly pee their pants was the thunderous steps of a monster. Tubba Blubba was coming to eat them when an angry, beat up Mario emerged out the door. Everyone grinned sheepishly while Mario got rid of the lock. Before he could even open the door, his friends shoved him through the entryway. Mario grunted that that was just assault.

"Quiet Mario. _You_ didn't have to cower in a corner while that beast thought you were an entrée!" Link murmured. Mario put on a guffawed face. He fought five of the seven Clubbas after all, but it didn't really compare to being in Tubba Blubba's presence. The room they were in had a Life-up Box, which meant something bad was going to happen. Mario bashed the box, leaving everyone at full health. Entering the other door, there was another bridge above the entry room, only even higher than the last one. They crossed it with speed, went into the next room, and a book was open on a table. They couldn't jump on the chair to get to it though, so Mario explored a little more and found a chest behind a large bed. Just as he was about to open it, the room rumbled and Tubba Blubba was on the prowl.

"AIIIIIII!" wailed Goombario.

"Quiet!" snapped Link.

Tubba Blubba burst through the doors.

"Hmmm…I might be in trouble…that Star Spirit ran away…and now I think someone suspicious is in the castle…I sure don't wanna make King Bowser mad. He's scary." he stated. The gang quivered behind the bed. "He did make me invincible, but if I screw up, he might change me back to normal…"

This new info intrigued the group. They strained to hear more. Too bad Tubba Blubba was making his way over to them. He stopped just before the gang could enter his sight. They were holding their breath.

"…time for some beauty rest!" he exclaimed. With a big leap and a giant bubble, he was fast asleep. Everyone could breathe again except Parakarry. Mario turned and opened the chest to find a key…named Yakkey. Oh no.

"Hi there! I'm Yakkey…a faithful and _**chatty**_ follower of Tubba Blubba! My very important job is to guard his valuables!"

"Way to go, Mario!" hissed half the gang. Mario sweat dropped.

"But…you don't look like Master Tubba Blubba at all! That means…you have come here to steal me, the magical key that unlocks the door to Windy Mill at the foot of Gusty Gulch? Furthermore, your goal is to find out if there's a secret inside that Windy Mill? "

Mario stepped back. He had forgotten all about the Windmill.

"What do we say Mario?" Kirby asked cautiously.

"I don't think it will matter…say yes!" Link input. Mario nodded to Yakkey.

"…you're a very honest person aren't you?" Yakkey asked. "…"

He then burst out, "HEEELLLLLPPPP! Master Tubba Blubba! A THIEF!" Parakarry woke up from his pass out and he and Goombario went to high tail it, with everyone else shivering in fear. Tubba Blubba sat up from his nap.

"Grrrr…Hmmph? What's all the noise?" Tubba grumbled. "Five more minutes Mom…"

"Oh no! He's awake! We have to run!" Bow yipped. Kirby couldn't agree more. Surprisingly, Yakkey hid in Mario's pocket when they turned to leave. Goombario and Kooper were already out of the room, but the others weren't far behind. They were halfway down the suspended hall when Tubba Blubba finally got out of bed.

"Hey you! Thief! Stop!" ordered Tubba. He slammed his big butt on the ground, making it rumble. The floor collapsed underneath them. Link grabbed Bombette to protect her while Kirby leaped onto Bow to protect himself. Mario took a ride on Parakarry, but he was too heavy to stay in the air. They landed on the middle hall, but that crumbled too. Luckily, they managed to get out of the way before they were crushed to death by a piece of the floor. Bombette was on the verge of an outburst, Kooper needed an inhaler, Goombario was breathing off, Bow was grabbing Kirby as hard as he was grabbing her, Link had a stubborn face, and Mario wished Parakarry was stronger. Even though they were on a lower part, Tubba Blubba was still hot on the trail.

"RUN PEOPLE!" shouted Goombario who couldn't hold his breath anymore. They didn't need to be told. They sprinted down the many stairwells, headed into the lobby where all the U.F.O.s were smashed under the weight of hall pieces, and dashed to the front door. Half the gang stopped breathing.

* * *

Outside, a little team of Boos arrived.

"At last, we've arrived at Tubba Blubba's castle. Are you ready everyone?" the leader asked. "Be brave! We must do all we can to help the Lady Bow!"

"But…what can we do?" one Boo wondered.

"This is no time to lose our nerve, fellow Boos! Our dear lady is fighting against Tubba Blubba himself! We mustn't hesitate!" Leader boomed.

"Come back here!" they heard Tubba Blubba growl from inside. The Mario gang toppled outside, landing in a heap thanks to Goombario. Everyone glared at him until all the Boos gasped. At that moment, five of the six Boos flung themselves onto the door. The last Boo needed to talk to them.

"Wha…wha…What's that noise?" he asked.

"Tubba Blubba bringing down the house!" Link snickered.

"Not now Link!" Kirby grunted.

"Tubba Blubba's chasing you?! And he's right on the other side of the door? GULP!"

"We need to go to the Windy Mill to find out his secret!" explained Bow.

"You might be able to find out Tubba Blubba's weak point? Oh, of course, the windmill at the foot of the hill…" Mario nodded. "You must hurry! Run as fast as you can to the Windy Mill! We'll hold Tubba Blubba here!"

"It's too dangerous! He's a madman! He'll eat every last one of you!" Bow cried.

The ground shook even more, and everyone felt like they were going to flop over.

"GUURRGHHH! Why won't this door open?" Tubba Blubba bellowed. The last Boo quickly went to help the others.

"I…don't know how long…we can keep holding this. Don't worry about us! Keep going, for all our sakes! Don't look back!" the last Boo ordered.

"Good luck!" Kirby called.

Mario and co. raced to the Windy Mill in a flash. Just as they were about to leave the front door, Tubba Blubba smelled the ghosts. Bow gasped and turned away. Kirby urged her to go on so they could save them, gently took her hand, and led her away. The gang was getting incredibly tired from all their running, but kept going forward no matter what. Flying past all familiar land and completely bypassing enemies, they reached the windmill in record time. Mario shoved Yakkey into the lock and opened the door in a whoosh. Mario quickly broke a Spin Jump pad. The group piled down into the room. It only had a spring and a door, so using their common sense they entered the door. A long corridor lay before them. As Mario led his friends, he found a sigh that said:

**No entry Allowed.**

"Well, we're not allowed in there, we should LEAVE!" yelped Goombario.

"There you go again!" Link moaned. "So gullible…"

"Quiet! I don't want to DIE you know!"

"We're not. You just need to have a little courage!"

"Share some of yours with me. You have enough to go around!"

"It's only for important people, like Bombette!"

"Aw!"

Goombario rolled his eyes and groaned. Bombette was going to blow up in his face again, but Mario put her fuse out. They found another hall with another warning sign and Goombario had another speech. The next hall had a Hyper Goomba, but they ignored that, another sign, and Goombario. Finally, the next room was actually a room with a giant, pulsing, red feltish heart sitting a pedestal.

"Who are you?" it barked. Mario told it. "What! Mario?!"

"And Link!"

"And Kirby!

The thing glared at the other two who quickly hid their faces.

"Did someone…tell you I'm the secret strength of Tubba Blubba?" it asked. Mario shook his head no, but the red glob kept going. "Someone spilled the beans that the Tubba Blubba in the castle is just a hollow shell and…I'm controlling it from here?"

"eh…"

The thing bopped up and down. "You can't trust anybody!"

"Tell me about it!" piped Goombario.

"I can't let you out of here knowing the secret of my "invincible" body! Sorry, but here we go!"

The heart (that's what it was shaped like) went in to attack, causing Goombario to scream a bloody scream.

* * *

**BOSS BATTLE! Woo! I kinda've enjoyed this one. But anyway, we're really close to 40 reviews soooo...if you can make that possible, you can see them kick some butt Sunday. Give it 110 percent!**

**Next time-**

**The team of heroes get ready to take down the true villain, Tubba Blubba's Heart. Will they provail? Shall Bow be eaten before? Is Kirby gonna have a melt down? Shrug...:D**


	26. Vinsible Tubba Blubba: Heartless

Paper Mario X

Chapter 25: Vinsible Tubba Blubba: As Heartless as You Think

_Previously-_

_"Did someone…tell you I'm the secret strength of Tubba Blubba?" it asked. Mario shook his head no, but the red glob kept going. "Someone spilled the beans that the Tubba Blubba in the castle is just a hollow shell and…I'm controlling it from here?"_

_"eh…"_

_The thing bopped up and down. "You can't trust anybody!"_

_"Tell me about it!" piped Goombario._

_"I can't let you out of here knowing the secret of my "invincible" body! Sorry, but here we go!"_

_The heart (that's what it was shaped like) went in to attack, causing Goombario to scream a bloody scream._

Goombario was sent to tattle and made a bad joke about that thing being Tubba Blubba's heart, and that it was the "Heart" of his secret. Everyone groaned and Link boasted that no one could be as funny as him. But then, Kooper passed out when they found out it had 50 HP. After the little description, Bow immediately knew she was going to be used a lot. Kirby was willing to let her hide everyone so no one would die. But for the moment, Mario did a Power Jump to get rid of 6 HP.

"heh heh heh heh heh! I'm gonna do this great attack. It's impossible to avoid." the heart explained. "I just have to prepare a bit, so hang on for a moment."

"What an idiot…" muttered Kirby. The heart summoned some power and began to glow. Kirby nodded and Bow went over to hide Link after he did a jab with a surprisingly perfect command. He was so proud, he almost didn't notice Bow hide him. Tubba's Heart began to shake, then little red things slammed into Link and Bow, but no damage was taken. Bow winked and floated back to Kirby. Kirby performed Final Cutter perfectly, doing seven. Bow beamed while smacking some sense into that heartless heart.

"hey you! Lady Ghost! You look quite tasty!" exclaimed Heart. "Stick around after the battle. Fighting makes me mighty hungry!" Bow put on a horrified face while Kirby growled and clenched his fists.

"Blech! You wish! You don't have a chance, you ghost-gobbling freak!" Bow grunted. "Kirby! Now I'm really mad! Let's beat this thing up!"

Kirby's eyes were flaming when he heard that Heart was going to eat Bow. "As you wish, my Lady…" He wouldn't let anything happen to Bow. Heart then charged up some power when Mario took his turn. He used Power Jump again. Bow floated over to Mario and used Outta Sight on him. When Heart's attack was unleashed, it still did no damage. Link scoffed and slashed, while Bombette used Bomb. The heart hopped of its perch and jumped into Link, taking away six. Link cringed. It came around to Kirby's turn again, but he let Bow finish off the heart with another smack. The HP was below five, and the heart had a meltdown.

"OWWWWEEEE! Oh, I'm hurting! I have to get out of here!" it cried. The battle stopped as it bounced away.

"Quick! Let's go catch it!" Kirby ordered.

"I still need to teach it a lesson!" Bow roared.

Mario gave a thumb up before chasing after the villain. They flew through the halls, bounced up on the spring, dashed out of the windmill, and outside where the Tubba Blubba body was.

"It's time to reunite!" the heart stated. The body ate his own heart (very disturbing) as Mario and co. prepared to fight another battle.

"Oh yeah! Now I'm feeling good! With my heart and body reunited, there's no way to beat me!" Tubba Blubba bragged. Mario smiled smugly. He used a Power Jump, then Parakarry did his shell dive and the fiend was dead.

"He only had 10 HP after all…" Goombario pointed out. "Poor guy…"

"Weakling!" dissed Kirby.

When Tubba Blubba collasped to the ground, they were rewarded with Thirty Star Points. The gang cheered. Tubba Blubba began to cry.

"Oh…oh no…With my heart and body reunited, I'm not invincible anymore…Now I'm back to "_not invincible_" Tubba Blubba…that's so lame!" he turned to Mario, Kirby, and Bow. "I give up! Look, I'll give up all the Boos I ate! Forgive me!"

He opened his mouth and all the Boos he ate flew out of his stomach. Stanley, Herbert, and more were able to see the light of day once again.

"I'm actually a really sensitive guy trapped in a huge body. I don't wanna be invincible anymore if it means I have to fight guys like you!"

_Tubba Blubba then ran away, believed to never come back. Rumors are he ran into Forever Forest and got lost, but who knows?_

Bow spun around and held her fan as she laughed. "Serves you right! Everyone who got eaten has returned safely! Hooray! But I guess I'd better tell everyone not to scare old Tubba Blubba anymore…" As she spoke and celebrated, Kirby sulked. "We used to love scaring Tubba Blubba night and day because he was such a coward. Oh well. We're not sorry for it! Scaring folks is what Boos do! Ha!"

"Yeah…but now you're going to leave…" Kirby muttered sadly. Bow smiled a small smile.

"That was a pretty invigorating experience. I've never felt so full of excitement before!" she squealed. "and…ahem...it was also a good learning experience. I think I'd better explore more of the outside world." Kirby suddenly perked up. "So…I think I'll accompany you a little longer."

Kirby burst out into a song and dance.

"is that okay Mario? Of course it's okay right?" Bow asked. Kirby stopped briefly.

"YEAH! I can't imagine this journey without you! Tell her she can stay Mario…or **else**."

Mario didn't need to be warned. Bow _had_ helped a lot. He gave a nod and Kirby started up again. Bow celebrated, but the she remembered the Star Spirit, and gave it back as promised.

"Bootler! Snap to it! Come over here!" Bow demanded to nothing. Bootler arrived shortly out of thin air, orderly and old as ever. "here Mario. He's free now." Bootler released the Star Spirit's card, and Mario, Link, and Kirby touched it at the same time. The card shone the brilliant light, and became the Star Spirit, Skolar. Another Star Spirit was now safe from Bowser. They were almost halfway done!

* * *

**Good old Kirby. XD**


	27. Bowser Questionnaire!

Paper Mario X

Chapter 26: Bowser Questionnaire!

Up in the sky, in a place far, far, away...bah, you know what I mean. We're checking up on Peach, Zelda, and Amy again. Peach and Twink were talking while Zelda and Amy would respond when needed.

"I wonder how everyone's doing…Do you think he found a way to beat that Tubba Blubba?" asked Twink.

"I wonder too…I'm so worried," admitted Peach.

"Of course he did! He's smart, as Peach says…" Zelda snickered. Peach gave a look. "Besides, with Link's sword skills, there was no chance!"

"What if Mario got hurt?"

"Well...um…no use wondering! Why don't we go out and eavesdrop again? If Mario managed to beat Tubba Blubba by now…Bowser and his followers will be really, really, mad! Don't you think?" Twink suggested.

"You may be right Twink! There's no use just sitting around worrying like this! Let's see what we can find out," Peach exclaimed.

"Finally! Someone understands! You learned it from me though…" Zelda input.

"Yay! I love this part!" cried Amy. Zelda stared as if she was nuts as Peach jumped up to hit the secret button. The way to their secret passage opened and Amy shrieked for no reason what-so-ever.

"Did you eat sugar or something?" Zelda asked her while they went down the corridor.

"Only a quick cake…" Amy coughed. "A guard gave it to me when you two were sleeping. I ate it for breakfast…"

Zelda groaned while Peach activated the second switch. They waited for it to spin into Bowser's room, with Amy vibrating. Bowser and Kammy Koopa were there, talking. The girls were alarmed as they heard them from the other side.

"It can't be! No! No! No! Explain that again! Slowly!" Bowser roared.

"Your Wretchedness. I keep trying to tell you. Tubba Blubba was…gulp…defeated by Mario."

"Well that's strange because…**YOU TOLD ME HE WAS INVINCIBLE**! How can you beat someone who's invincible?!"

Suddenly, the fireplace finished turning, and Peach, Zelda, Amy, and Twink were in a shock. They were glad Mario, Link and Kirby were okay, but what about them? Bowser stomped his foot and called Mario stupid. He then said that he probably found out Tubba Blubba's secret…Kammy replied with a fact that they needed a new tactic.

"Mario will most likely go to Shy Guy's Toy Box next…and that Samus is being held there, on account she looks like an action figure…" Kammy mumbled.

"Yes…so we should prepare something there for his arrival. I won't be satisfied with just having him beaten up anymore! Him and those other place nitwits! What we need to do is find his weak point and completely humiliate him! Yeah! Kammy Koopa, you've gotta find out what Mario hates and…" Bowser noticed the girls. Amy quivered.

"GAAAAHHHH! For the love of…why…why are Princess Peach and the other girls here?! What's wrong with those guards?" Bowser rambled.

"Hey! We know what we wanted, now throw us back in the room, and we won't care!" Zelda boldly stated.

"No, wait, hang on…this is actually good timing, my mischievous gals. We're just discussing the weak points of our mutual friends, Mario, Link, and Kirby. So…Princess Peach, Princess Zelda, and Amy Rose…what do you know about their weaknesses?"

"I know nothing!" Amy decided. Zelda shook her head and whispered something in her friends' ears.

"Zelda…what does Link hate most? A Goomba, a Clubba, or a Mushroom?"

"A mushroom."

_Ha, that's about the LAST thing he'd hate!_

Peach gave a quick wink to Zelda. Bowser nodded and asked Amy what Kirby hated: A Fuzzy, a Hammer Bro, or a Thunder Rage Item. She still claimed to know nothing about anyone, yet she told him the Thunder Rage. He nodded and finally turned to Peach.

"How about these things for…Mario!" he gagged. "Pokey, Koopatrol, or Super Soda?"

"Oh dear! Not Super Soda!" Peach fake gasped.

"Oh excellent! Thank you girls!" Bowser said. He then told Kammy Koopa to make sure Mario didn't miss these things. "Did you get all that Kammy Koopa? Get going immediately!"

Kammy murmured about not trusting Peach, Zelda, and Amy, yet still did what Bowser asked. Bowser then ordered for the girls to be taken back to the room. A few guards came in, grabbed the prisoners, and threw them back in the room.

"Noooo! Not again!" they cried.

Twink left with an unsure look on his face. When Peach, Zelda, and Amy landed in their usual heap, they burst out laughing.

"Oh! Link's so afraid of a mushroom!" Zelda snickered.

"I can't believe that jerk believed us!" Amy added.

"Heh! That was actually kind of fun!" stated Peach. After another few moments of mocking Bowser, Zelda wanted to get down to business.

"Hey… did you hear that Samus was in the Toy Box?"

Peach and Amy listened up. "Yeah…It's about time we heard something about her…"

"Ah, good ol' Samus. A little tough, yet still a nice woman…" Zelda explained, thinking about a time she met Samus.

"That's nice…but whatever happened to Sonic? He ran out of Dry Dry Desert and was never heard from again!" Amy sobbed with worry.

"Amy…he's fine! If he's as tough and strong as you say, he ought to be tough enough to get out of a desert…" Peach trailed.

"Thanks."

"Anytime!"

"I want to see Samus again!"

"Zelda! You ruined the sweet moment!"

"Oh…sorry."

Peach hit her on the head with a pillow and Amy joined in, hitting and giggling until it grew even deeper into the night. This tired the enegry out of everyone, incuding Amy on her sugar buzz, and they all crashed for the night. Even though Peach and Zelda were fine, and went to sleep instantly, Amy couldn't help but lay awake in her troubles.

What did happen to Sonic?

* * *

**Next Time-**

**Chapter 4 begins! As the gang returns to Toad Town, with an encounter from an old "friend", they must figure out why Shy Guys are running rampid and hurry to the rescue of their long forgotten friend Samus... **

**Do I even need to tell you to review? XD**


	28. Forever Fighting Jr

Paper Mario X

Chapter 27: Forever Fighting Jr.

Everyone stood outside the mill listening to Skolar. Kirby couldn't be happier now that Bow was staying with them.

"Hello again Mario. I knew you could do it. I don't know how to thank you. I knew it was the right decision to ask you to help us. You're a great man. Now that I'm free, I can help you."

Skolar then gave Mario the most useful Star Power, Starstorm, which got Link and Kirby going.

"Sweet! Mario can do Star Storm like that Ness kid's friend! Uh…" Link trailed.

"Prince Poo?"

"Yeah! They're both great kids! Oh, that Ness…"

Mario rolled his eyes.

"Do you two go to other worlds in your free time?" Goombario asked.

"Duh! My world barely has any danger, just once every six months -heck, it was nearly four years of peace once- while Mario has to save Peach every Tuesday!" Kirby babbled.

Mario gave a look of envy.

"Yeah, Ganondorf only attacks every time a new generation of Zelda or I arrive, which is usually more than 50 years," explained Link. "So Kirby and I wanted to see more of life, and met when we were at Sonic's world, and after that the three of us would travel to other places, then we found Samus."

"Our bond has been unbreakable ever since."

"You guys must have a lot of fun!"

"Yep…"

Skolar coughed, as he wanted to continued, and they all shut up.

"…Mario. I have one bit of bad news. Unfortunately, Bowser's life force is getting bigger all the time. Most likely, it's the Star Rod giving him more power. We're not even sure if he's noticing it or not, but there's no question it's making him stronger than before. We will have to be much more careful in the coming trials. Ah…I'm sorry to leave, but I must go back to Star Haven. The other Star Spirits are waiting for me there. Oh…and if you could…Please keep it a secret that I got lost in Forever Forest. Thanks Mario. Bye!"

Skolar waved good-bye before spinning up back to his home. Everyone waved to him and Mario led the way back to Toad Town. They passed Bow's mansion (Bow waved Good-bye) and headed back into the dreaded Forever Forest. They entered, only to hear a recognizable voice…

"Bugs! Get 'em off me!" a familiar nasal voice chirped. Link grunted, Mario groaned, everyone else gasped. "I'm lost in a freaky forest! S-s-so s-scared…" The moment they turned the corner, Jr. caught up to them.

"Dear Lord…" Link moaned.

"Oh Mario! Link! Oh thank…I mean, ah HA!" Jr. cackled. Everyone raised an eyebrow. "Boy are you unlucky to run into me again!"

"Have you been crying? Did you get lost in there?" smirked Goombario.

"hey! Shut up! Shut uuuuuuup! I'm not a lost child!"

"Just lost in the head!" chortled Link. Everyone laughed. Jr. glared.

"I'm your worst nightmare! Here comes the pain!" he bellowed. Everyone got ready for a fight.

"Don't think I'm as vulnerable as I was before. Check this out. MORE POWER!" Suddenly, Jr. had a pair of wings, making Link, Kooper, Bombette, and mostly Kirby unable to attack without using their most FP sucking moves. Mario let Goombario tattle, revealing Jr. had 40 HP this time. Mario then decided to try out his new Star Storm move. It took six away, because Jr. had a defense of one. Jr. grunted and flew into Mario. Now that it was Link and Bombette's turn, Bombette used a Thunder Rage and Link performed a Sword Hack. Jr. flew into Bombette.

"I know you think your fly, but don't you have a little more skill than that?" Link mocked. Jr. clenched his hands into fists.

"Fly! I get it, that's a good one…" Kirby sighed while wiping a tear away.

The battle continued when Kirby sliced Jr. down the middle with his Final Cutter. Bow cackled while she gave the baby a good spanking! Jr. sniffled before he plowed into Kirby. Kirby called him a wimp as Mario threw a hammer at Jr's head. Parakarry was now in the fight, helping with his Shell Dive. Jr.'s HP was dropping heavily. Panting, Jr. attacked Mario yet again. Link snickered as he used his turn to throw Bombette while she readied a fuse. Jr coughed as the smoke cleared away, ticked because he was being whipped so easily. He rammed into Link at high speed, hoping that would hinder something. But the kid was still beaten when Kirby brought out the cutter again and Bow smacked him once to finish the job.

"Nooo! Darn it! Darn it! Darn it!!!!" Jr. ran away before he could let a lot worse words out. The group cheered just as a certain issue was brought to attention.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Bombette groaned. Everyone joined her except Bow, who said she could lead them out. Goombario and Kooper let out cries of Halleluiah as she floated to one of the branches blocking a pathway. Kirby trotted behind her, wondering how she could get through the forest so easily. At long last, her brilliant face lit up as the skies turned clear and bright blue once again, and more gratefulness was expressed. By some weird twist of fate though, Jr. was at the edge of the forest also.

"Oh! I made it out of the forest! I could kiss this ground!" he exclaimed. Kirby, Link, Bombette, Mario, Bow and Goombario quietly snickered. "YAHHHOOOO!" He ran off, overly excited. Kirby bowed to Bow to thank her for not letting them become trapped in the forest and being able to see the light of day again. The rest of the group followed except Mario (he was too good for that) and Bombette and Goombario (armless!). Bow just pulled her fan out to laugh her wicked, yet beautiful, laugh.

"Let's just head back to Toad Town…" Link murmured. Mario agreed. They walked down the path, past the guard's station. The red plumber decided to give him a piece of his mind, only to find out that Shy Guys were running amuck all over town! Everyone gasped and ran into the town to see for him or herself. All except Parakarry, who delivered a letter first. As they stepped foot in the place, a cry of a lost frying pan was heard. A Shy Guy suddenly darted out of a house carrying a very elegant frying pan. Link gasped.

"Someone can't make food! We have to help!" he cried. Everyone who had a hand smacked their heads. Link dashed after him, followed by his comrades. Once they entered the next area, there was another distress cry.

"MARIO!"

Okay, it wasn't of distress, but it was Twink. Link noticed him and quickly returned.

"Hey Twink! It's been awhile! We found Kirby!" Link called.

"Hi! They told me about you!" Kirby put in.

"That's great! Plus it's related to what I'm about to tell you!" explained Twink, turning to Mario. "Mario! Mario! Good to see you! We found out that you defeated Tubba Blubba! I knew you could do it! I just knew it! When we heard the news, the girls were very relieved."

"Is Zelda okay?" Link asked worriedly.

"yes Link. They all are. Amy Rose and Zelda are bonding well! Peach…tries, but does something on accident to ruin it. Nevertheless, they are all fine and all right with each other."

Mario coughed, and Twink giggled. "Oh yes…I've got new news on the honorable Star Spirits who are still imprisoned!"

"Do tell!" cried Kirby.

"Have you ever heard of Shy Guy's Toy Box?" Twink wondered.

"Not a clue."

Mario: No.

"it seems that one of the Star Spirits is being held there…along with your friend Samus…but where on earth is Shy Guy's Toy Box? I have no idea…" Link and Kirby jumped up in surprise, shock, and happiness.

"Samus? Finally!"

"A little info on her at last!"

"We almost gave up!"

"I can't believe she's alive!!!!"

"…oh! Time grows short now! I have to go back to the princess now. Good Luck Mario!"

Link stopped celebrating to grab Twink. "Wait! Before you go…any word on…Sonic?"

Twink cringed. "No…Amy asked the same thing after their last adventure. She was so upset…The only thing we know is that he ran out of Dry Dry desert and was never seen or heard from again…" Link's head sagged. "I'm sorry…good luck again, everyone! Princess Peach, Zelda, and Amy Rose are always cheering you on!" Twink winked, and then flew back to said females. Link now had a damper on his mood, but he slightly perked up when Kirby said they could go find Samus.

In the center of town, a man was screaming about a stolen calculator, and a Shy Guy could be seen running away in the distance. The one with the calculator zipped past the group. To the right of them, the flower garden (filled with seeds from places they've already been but I didn't feel like adding) was being trampled by Shy Guys.

"They don't seem very shy…" Link scoffed. A few snickered. Link managed to smack one, but the other was way too quick. Mario said they'd help later; they needed to find the Toy Box. A Toad yelped that a Shy Guy was headed for the Post Office, so that was a target of suspicion. Just when they opened the door, the Mail master called out a thief. When the entered, he was still screaming and a Shy Guy escaped with a bag of mail. Parakarry had a moment of silence. There was no need for the post office anymore, but they needed some supplies, so they went to the store in the south part of town. When they entered, another shout crossed their eardrums. A Shy Guy had stolen a key.

"How long have we been gone?" Kirby pondered.

"I…mumph…don't…chew…know…chomp!" Link mumbled while wolfing down a Super Shroom.

"Whatever! We need to get the key back!" Parakarry stated. Since they still had no lead on where to find the toy box, it was the least they could do. While searching around, Mario located a seemingly empty house. It was white…plain….empty…very suspicious. Goombario suggested hiding with Bow in case there was someone who didn't want to expose some secret. Bow smirked, hid them all from sight, and instantly a pink Shy Guy bolted in the door whistling. She (he?) looked around, sang the tune once more, and then literally jumped into the wall. Bow ceased her invisibility and Link gasped.

"I heard of bouncing off the wall, but not bouncing into them!" he exclaimed. A groan waved erupted.

"I don't care! Into the wall!" Kirby yelled, grabbing Bow and blasted through the wall. The others followed his lead, but they were all crammed in the tiny room with the Toy Box and a spring. Everyone pushed, shoved, and squirmed for room, yet there still wasn't any. Kirby was trying to pry the lid off, but Mario coughed to receive everyone's attention, propelled himself onto the spring, and jumped into the box for the next part of his journey…


	29. We Don't Toy Around

**Am I SEEING 50 REVIEWS?!?! YAY!!! I'd like to thank EVERY person who has reviewed (and those who will review in the future!), and another thanks to all who even read this story! Also just in time for this story's 5 month anniversary, here's a VERY happy chapter 28!**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 28: We Don't Toy Around

_"I heard of bouncing off the wall, but not bouncing into them!" Link exclaimed. A groan wave erupted._

_"I don't care! Into the wall!" Kirby yelled, grabbing Bow and blasting through the wall. The others followed his lead, but they were all crammed in the tiny room with the Toy Box and a spring. Everyone pushed, shoved, and squirmed for room, yet none was made. Kirby was trying to pry the lid off, but Mario coughed, propelled himself onto the spring, and jumped into the box for the next part of his journey…_

They all landed in a pile on a spring conveniently placed for someone's arrival. Once Mario wormed his way out from under the dog pile, he took a look around. It was a colorful place, with gears turning, toys whizzing around and…a train station. Crud. Everyone screamed in horror at the sight. Goombario had a melt-down. Mario left to talk to an apparently angry Blue Toad.

"Usually I work here at Blue Station. But since there's no train, I'm pretty much unemployed right now," he grunted. Mario understood. Link and Kirby snickered until they received a glare from their partners. They shrugged and went to chat with a Yellow and Black Toad.

"Welcome to Blue Station! Um…unfortunately, I can't take you to the other stations. We have the station and the tracks and everything…but the train's missing!" The gang groaned.

"I can't believe this! Shouldn't they at least have a spare train?" Bow complained.

"Trains are expensive Bow!" Kirby explained.

"No! Twenty are. Get with the times Kirby!"

Kirby was taken aback. "No one is as rich, pretty, and is royal like you are you know…" He then covered his mouth. Bow heard, but she wasn't going to say anything. Kirby turning deep red was enough for her.

"What are we going to do now?" Kooper asked.

Parakarry pointed to a path behind the area where they entered and Mario quickly headed over there, with everyone else in tow. A yellow Shy Guy chased after them, but Mario gave him a bump on his head. He unfortunately had two others with him. Mario had Goombario tattle. They had 7 HP. Mario brushed it off and finished the first one with another hammer whack. The remaining Shy Guys growled, then attacked Goombario with some weird acrobaticish moves. Link laughed before slashing his sword into the second Shy Guy with Bombette finishing off with a body slam. The last Shy Guy tackled Link. Kirby allowed Bow to go first, using her smack on the masked face. Kirby smirked as he finished off with his hammer.

"Hey! That was no big deal!" he called. Mario tapped him, and realized they leveled up. Kirby cried out in joy, and chose HP. Mario also chose HP, and Link promised to get HP next time as he picked FP.

"I feel powerful!" Kirby bellowed.

"Dude. Focus." Goombario grunted dully. Kirby sulked. As they walked past a treasure box, Kirby noticed a dark looking guy next to it. Mario also caught a glimpse; the Shy Guy had a will to fight. Kirby went to go over, but was stopped by Bow grabbing his hand.

"Don't! we have no idea how powerful that guy is!" she exclaimed. Kirby squinted at the fiend, but turned and walked away. Goombario looked him up in a book and read that he had 50 HP, an attack of ten, and an attack of twelve when he did a special flip. Everyone shivered and Kirby was sorry he thought about it.

"Maybe when we're a little stronger…" he whispered.

"Maybe never!" Goombario whined.

"hey! I bet Bowser's going to be tougher than him, so keep your yapper shut!"

"Pish! I could take down that guy with one hand!" Kooper scoffed.

"As if…" snickered someone, and everyone cracked up. Kooper pouted. No one paid attention to the Anti-Guy for long because a dancing Shy Guy danced up to them. He had a buddy, but no big deal there. Goombario explained they were called Groove Guys.

"So what if they have moves? We can still take them!" Link assured. Mario ignored the rants to kill the first one with one of his badge hammer moves, the Power Smash. The other Groove Guy did a jig to call in a Medi guy. Link and Bombette groaned; it hovered in the air. They let Kirby and Bow go first, due to how he could fix all the damage they'd do to the Groove Guy. Kirby smiled and used his Final Cutter on the Medi Guy. It left him with just one HP, causing Kirby to frown. If he had killed it, Bow could've taken out the other guy. She had a trick up her sleeve when she pulled out a Thunder Rage, killing the Medi Guy and leaving the Groove Guy with 2. The Groove Guy attacked Kirby, taking two away from him. Link sent Bombette to body slam what was left of the guy, and she did proudly.

After their battle, they went into the next area where a green Shy Guy was running around with a Fire Flower on his head. In fact, all the Shy Guys in the room had something on their heads. One had the calculator. Instead of coming to attack, they were running away, causing them all to go on a mad goose chase. Mario tracked it down, and with the help of Parakarry, defeated him and his accomplice to get the calculator back. Link and Bombette claimed a Mushroom, Kirby and Bow nabbed the cake mix, and Goombario and Kooper snagged the Fire Flower.

"What's gonna work? TEAMWORK!" wailed Kirby.

Once they annihilated every last guy that was shy, they all retraced their steps backward to the Blue Station, and went the west way instead of the east way.

* * *

_A treasure box sat in a corner of a room. Kammy Koopa soared over it, her witchy grin breaking mirrors from miles away. She noticed a shadow, and became suspicious. With a few magic words in the form of a chant, Kammy made a mushroom appear._

_"Perfect…Link really hates these guys so he'll run," she cackled. "Will this really scare him? They seem pretty weak…I'm getting a little suspicious of what Peach tells us…Well, it doesn't matter. King Bowser ordered it and he's the boss! She flew away with an unsure expression on her face._

* * *

Mario and co. entered the next part of the toy box. A familiar pink Shy Guy was running free. It spotted Mario and ran straight at them. Mario countered with a jump. The gang demolished the guy and continued on with barely a scratch. Navigating the room with boxes that catapulted you to another ledge, they worked their way to the other side of the room. They were greeted by a Shy Guy tied to some balloons, probably Balloon Guy. When Goombario tattled, they discovered it was a Sky Guy. I was close.

"I want a balloon!" Kirby whined.

Ignoring his plea, Mario and Parakarry took down the first Sky guy, and the Second Sky guy attacked them along with the normal guy. Link and Bombette teamed up on the regular Shy Guy, but received a beating from the Sky Guy. Kirby and Bow took out the trash at last after a good smack and a cut.

"That was one of the most boring battles ever!" Goombario grumbled.

"They all can't be exciting…" Kooper added. "It would be awesomer if, you know… I could battle?"

Mario shrugged and swapped Parakarry for Kooper. Kooper cried out in joy, punching the air with praise.

"YES! I AM BACK BABY! WOO!" he started to danced around, and the gang left him to celebrate. it took him 5 minutes to realize they were gone.

* * *

Climbing up into a building and jumping off another, our faithful heroes found the other end of the room. The mushroom was waiting for Link along with the chest.

"Yay! A un-scary mushroom! You dont know how long I've been craving these!" he cheered, tackling it. He chowed it down in one chomp. "All these Shy Guys are making my stomach the opposite of Shy! " Heads were smacked. Mario sighed as he went to open the chest. In it was the key to the storeroom. The gang glanced at each other and had a few thoughts. They discussed something in private, then backtracked yet again. At the Blue Station, Mario jumped onto the spring and back into Toad Town.

"Anyone think the reason the Shy Guy stole the storeroom key was because the train is in there?" Kirby asked.

"It's highly likely…" Link replied. "No way to find out until we get there!"

Mario gave a thumbs up in agreement and trotted to the store. The shopkeeper was still in a frenzied state, but it went away when the key was returned safely. Overjoyed, the store Toad ran over to the door and unlocked it instantly. He then explained that Mario's group could take out anything they wanted. Kirby snuck everyone a "I was so right" look as he entered the room. A Dizzy Dial, Snowman Doll, Thunder Shroom, and something that could've been a train sat in there. Mario grabbed the toy looking thing and discovered it was the train!

"I WAS RIGHT! Go Kirby! Go Kirby! Go Kirby! Woot woot!" the pink ball whooped.

"Good job Kirby!" Bow giggled. Kirby stuck a pose. Half the group rolled their eyes.

"Oh my God! Kirby was right!" Goombario gasped. "It's a sign of bad luck!"

"What!? Shut up, Fungi Face!"

Kirby punched Goombario, making him fly into Link, who tripped trying to avoid falling onto Bombette, then Bombette tried to help Link up, which made Kooper freak out and crash into a wall, altering Parakarry's flight, so he crashed down into Bow, causing her to propel into Kirby's arms, reaching to strangle Goombario. Both blushed as Kirby set her down.

"That was Goombario's fault!" Kirby muttered immediately. Goombario put on a face of fury.

"Uh…yeah. It was. Stupid Goomba…" grumbled Bow, straightening her bows.

"As awkward as that was, we should head back to the toy box. After all, Samus is in there, and we don't know if she's in trouble or not…" Link explained. Kirby gasped and ushered everyone back to the house with the toy box.

* * *

When Mario tried to give the train back to the Conductoad (oh, that's a good one!), the Conductoad refused it, claiming it was too small. The entire gang groaned, and heard a feminine scream/ battle cry in another part of the box of toys.

"Samus!" Link and Kirby yelped. They started to panic as Mario pondered the situation. He quickly stopped them when he came to a very obvious solution. He whispered the plan, and Kirby bounced back to the outside of the box. He lifted the lid and dropped the toy train onto the track inside. Link asked Mario how he came up with that; Mario just winked and pointed to his head. Link shook his head. The force of the train bouncing back was enough to send everyone into the air. This repeated thrice times, until Kirby returned moments later.

"That was cool! You guys looked so tiny from that angle!" Kirby giggled. "Kirby is on FI-YA today! Uh uh! Woot!" Everyone groaned from the floor. Mario sighed and hit the button that led to the Pink Station. The Conductoad was so thrilled he drove them immediately. The only problem was that this train was even more cramped that before. Worse, there were no seats. Link kicked Goombario in front of the tracks to hopefully get ran over, and then begged Bombette to hide under his hat for the short ride. She hesitantly agreed, gagging on her way up. Kirby had Bow make the two invisible, so there would be more room for Mario, Kooper, and Parakarry so there would be no passing out or rooftrips. The train headed off, unfortunately skipping Goombario on the tracks. The train rolled right over him without any damage done. Goombario was relived and hopped on the back of the train before it left him behind.

"We're coming Samus!" Kirby assured.

"We don't toy around when it comes to friends!" Link input.

The two kept their eyes peeled for the woman in the Power Suit. She wouldn't be that hard to find.

* * *

**As annoying as this part of the story was to write, I actually kinda like it. But there's no way it beat Chapts 5, 2, or 3...or even 8! So, it's like, my fifth. Happy 50 reviews and fifth month anniversary! You know what to do next! *hint hint wink***


	30. Figure of Action

Paper Mario X

Chapter 29: Figure of Action

The group arrived surprisingly comfortably into Pink Station. Kirby and Link were the first to shove out, eager to find Samus.

"This station is totally my color!" Bombette squealed.

"Literally!" added Link.

Kirby jumped on top of the Station steps. "All right friends! We might in a world of toys and fun, but we need to get down to business! There's a Star Spirit somewhere, and we must find Samus. The only way were going to be able to do that is if we focus! WHO'S WITH ME?!?!"

He stuck his short, stubby arm out for a hand pile up. Bow placed her own short nub of a hand on Kirby's, causing him to turn a light shade of pink (still, darker than his natural color). Then Link followed up with his own, Bombette placed her braid, Parakarry and Kooper placed their own hands in, Mario put his on the pile, finishing with Goombario jumping onto the stack, but everyone flung him off with a loud victory cheer. Mario said, "Let's a-go!" as Parakarry cried out in joy at the sight of the mailbag in a chest. He gave himself the honor of carrying it while he followed Mario down the east path.

* * *

_Kammy Koopa appeared in front of yet another chest. She cast a spell, and a Thunder Rage was brought to existence. She still seemed unsure about all of this, but it wasn't her call, after all…_

* * *

Mario, Link, and Kirby, exploded into the room. Their eyes darted around for any signs of their lady friend. All they found were Sky Guys floating everywhere. They all did their best to avoid the one just above them, and they were successful. Mario Spin Jumped on the jack-in-the-boxes, flinging his way up and over the other side of the wall. Walking past the obstacle, a clear fence was blocking off the rest of the room. Link looked back and saw a hallway or a block tunnel of some sort with Shy Guys running through it. It made him think about where the entrance was. At that moment, a shy Guy popped out of a blue thing, spotted the group, and ran off. A light bulb lit up in Link's head. He waited for it, and then told everyone to run as soon as the next Shy Guy came through.

"Why Elfo-AUGH!" Goombario cried, as he was smushed under the stampede. They all squashed against the door, waited for a Shy Guy, and then piled in when the door rotated. Everyone congratulated Link on his idea. Link said it was no big deal. Mario grabbed an Ice Power badge in a nearby chest.

"How is that useful?" snickered Kirby.

Mario shrugged and walked on. A little ways ahead, Kirby found the Thunder Rage and picked it up.

"Cool!" he said "I would have preferred a soda though…I'm parched!"

Link ignored his muttering as he pried open the chest for Tayce T.'s Frying Pan.

"Yes! Now a poor soul can make food again!!!" Link cheered.

"That IS good news!" agreed Kirby.

* * *

Back at Pink Station, Mario guided his followers to the west side of the station. The muffled woman yelp was heard yet again and Link and Kirby started to run. Before they could find Samus, they locked horns with a Spy Guy.

"How many guys are there?" complained Parakarry.

"As many as we can fight!" Kooper replied, ramming into the Spy Guy. Unfortunately, he also had a Medi Guy with him, but that was taken care of by one of Mario's badge moves. The Spy Guy attacked with a hammer, causing Mario to lose one of his commands. Link fixed this, however, with a Sword Slash. The one battle might have been easy, but the fighting was far from over. The sound was getting louder when they entered the next area. Link and Kirby had a heart attack.

"THERE'S SAMUS!" Link screamed.

Everyone turned at the sound of her name and saw Link was right. She was in the clutches of a fat Shy Guy with an apron on. He was playing with Samus like she as a toy.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"No! You're my present! You're the most fun action figure I've ever had!" he bellowed, clutching her even harder.

"She's not an action figure! She's a figure of action though…" Kirby interrupted. Samus heard the other voices in the room and jerked her head around.

"Kirby? Link?" Samus asked, surprised.

"What in the world-"

"How did you-"

"I fell in this box from God-knows-where, and I had no idea what had happened. I discovered all the Shy Guys in this box were plotting some kind of battle plan, so, you know, I blasted a few to bits..."

"How did you end up in the clutched arms of this...thing!" gasped Kirby. Samus grunted something. "Excuse me?"

"I...he tricked me! He said he'd surrender to my cannon if I gave him a cookie, and just as I handed it to him, several Shy Guys appeared out of nowhere, shoved me into him, and I haven't been able to escape! I swear, he's ruining my Power Suit!"

"Ha! You were beaten by little twerps!" chortled Goombario. Kirby smacked him upside the head.

"Sheesh, already getting on her bad side!"

Link was guffawed at Samus' words. "Oh yeah! You don't remember…"

"Don't remember what?"

"We all teamed up together and tried to take down the invincible Bowser, but he wiped our memory of that hour and scattered us. You must have ended up here…" Kirby explained. "Oh, be careful. You might feel a bit of pain when you-"

"What are you talking abo-ouch!" Samus attempted to grab and rub her head of the sudden headache, but the Fat Shy Guy prevented her from doing that. "Memories…are flooding…ugh. Okay, you win this round, but now can you help me so I can take out every last Shy Guy in this place?"

Everyone's focus snapped to the full picture. The fat guy was making Samus walk weird, then pushed a button on her back to activate her canon. It rocketed over Kooper's head, and blasted Link's cap right off his head.

"Hey! Quit wasting my projectiles!" Samus snapped.

"Oh! It has a catchphrase!"

Link smacked his head while Kirby groaned loudly. Samus made a noise to tell them to hurry up.

"You! Fatso!" Goombario called.

"Everybody calls me Gourmet Guy."

"I don't," Samus piped in.

"I don't know why. I'm just an ordinary, food-loving Shy Guy. Sigh…I'm hungry…and getting bored…"

"YES!"

"Not that bored. You are too awesome to just give away…"

"Crap."

Mario ripped the food sack from Link, and gave him a Hot Shroom Link had hidden.

"Went to see Tayce T. eh?" Kirby asked.

"Um…certainly not while you guys were walking around town hunting Shy Guys…nope…" Link coughed. Bombette attempted to shrug. As he tried to think of an alibi, Gourmet chomped down the Hot Shroom. It wasn't satisfying. If they got him something more filling, he'd let them pass.

"In addition, I'll give you my action figure. She has real talking action and everything! But…I've had her for awhile, and my arms are tired, so I'll give her to you guys!" Gourmet promised.

"Great!" Kirby cheered. He liked the sound of food.

"We'll be back Samus!" Link assured.

"Whatever…just don't take too long…"

Link winked and turned to leave. The backtracked all the way to Blue Station again, reentered Toad Town, and went to return Tayce T.'s Frying Pan. Parakarry pleaded that they return the mail first; the horror was killing him. Annoyed, Mario said yes, and Karry flew over at the speed of light. Happily, he handed the bag of mail over to the Mailmaster, getting a joyous response.

"The bag! Thank you, Mario! You'll never know how many people will be happy to get mail!"

"Like Luigi, but he never gets any anyway so…"

"Let me give you a small thank-you gift…"

They received a Star Piece. Mario politely gave his thanks, and then headed for Tayce's House. Link and Kirby couldn't wait to get to the scent of her Shroom Smelling kitchen. They were a bit disappointed when Tayce was upset and her frown sagged. Link quickly cheered her up with the sight of her frying pan.

"Oh Mario! My dear, dear, frying pan! You saved it from the Shy Guys! Thank you so much, Mario! For that, I'm going to make you something extra special!"

"Um…I'm Link! Hello? World famous?" Link was ignored. "I did all the work?!"

She immediately got to work and began tossing things into her pan, sizzling it, baking it, finishing it up, and resulted in a slice of cake. Link and Kirby drooled at the sight, but Mario hung onto it for better reasons. Tayce T. explained it was her most prized recipe, and it made her late sweetheart fall for it. She swore to never make it again because of that, but they were just so nice, she couldn't resist. The urge to eat the cake was suddenly washed away from Kirby and Link. They felt sorry for Tayce, but could always stop by later for a snack…

* * *

Back at Gourmet and Samus, Mario handed the cake to the overbloated guy with confidence. Maybe it was a mistake though…

"oh…ohhhh Mmmmm, ohhhh!!!" Gourmet moaned. It was silent for a few moments, but then it turned into an explosion. "DELICIOUS!!!!!!!" The scene before gourmet began to spin. "This is lip-smacking good!" Next thing they knew, he was bouncing off the walls, running on the ceiling (which made him drop Samus, but Link caught her. He fell from the weight of her suit), practically flew down from the ceiling, danced behind everyone, sprung into the air with a cry of yum…and never came back down.

"What a spaz…worse than Kooper…" Kirby murmured. Kooper heard him though.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT ME?!?!"

"Cough* Spas* Cough…"

"I know there's someone out there who knows I am not a spas, Kirby…so I don't wanna hear it from you!"

Before they could lunge at each other's throats, Link broke the peace by introducing Samus to everyone.

"It's about time you guys found me…" Samus stated. "I'll join whatever little quest you guys are going on only because I need to teach Bowser and THOSE _SHY GUYS_ a lesson!"

_Samus:  
HP: 20  
FP: 15  
__Moves:  
__Power Punch (3 Damage)  
Paralyzer (2 FP, paralyzes enemies/3 damage)  
Missiles/ Arm Canon (6 FP, 7 Damage-HOLY CRAP!)_

_Special Ability: Her Power Suit can help her withstand many attacks and prevents damage from outside forces, and if her cannon is used outside of battle, her missiles can K.O. any enemy._

"Okay Samus, here's how it works. When we get a new person, we let them use Kooper to train and get used to having a partner. Trust me, you don't want Goombario…" Link began, making Goombario grunt. "Once we get a partner that you can bond with, then you can trade Kooper in for that person, okay?"

"Hey! I'm hanging with Mario now! She can take Parakarry!" Kooper input, scooting closer to the red hero.

"Fine! Ruin my very well put together speech!"

"I'll go with her!" Parakarry offered.

Samus gave a nod, and then pointed to a piece of paper where the happy-go-lucky fat guy blasted off to Seventh Heaven. Mario picked it up. It wasn't a piece of paper; it was a cookbook.

"Oh! Tayce will really love that!" exclaimed Link. "It'll really get her cooking!"

* * *

As they went through the path Gournet Guy cleared, Samus bent down to Kirby.

"Hey Pinky? If you two are here…what happened to Sonic?" she asked. Kirby went sour and glanced at Link. Thank God he hadn't heard.

"We try not to talk about him. He's somewhere in this world, but he ran away from being drowned in Koopa Bro. Fortress, then ran through Dry Dry Desert and was never heard or seen again…it's making everyone question what really happened to him…"

Samus understood. "Sorry if it made you uncomfortable. I didn't know…"

Kirby smiled. "It's okay. It's a little hard knowing he could be in danger or hurt but-"

The conversation was interrupted by the beginning of a battle. It was a Groove Guy with another Groove Guy and…a Flame Guy?

"Woo! That guy's on fire! He must think he's pretty hot…Too bad we'll **BURN**him!" Link cackled. Someone threw a rock at him. Link told Samus to pay attention to how the battle works. She nodded once and gave it her full attention. Mario started off by hammering the first groove guy. Goombario tattled on the Pyro Guy (that's the real name, how lame). The first Groove Guy called in a Medi Guy, the second gave Mario a beating, and the Human Torch flamed on in Mario's face.

"Whoa! Looks like this battle is heating up!" Link observed. Bombette chuckled. Goombario told him to knock the witty banter off. He snorted as he hacked at Medi Guy. Bombette blasted what was left of the first Groove Guy. Medi Guy attacked Link, Groove Guy rammed into Link, and Heatwave flared Link. Link was totally massacredand chowed down on a Super Shroom. Kirby went wild and cut the remains of Medi Guy, followed by Bow smacking HP out of the last Groove Guy. Pyro struck Kirby. Samus was relived that it was finally her turn and launched a missile at Pyro, leaving it with very little life to work with. Parakarry finished off with a Shell in the gut, and Samus' first fight was done.

"Wow! That's the first semi-exciting battle we've had in the toy box!" Kirby babbled.

"I know! Except I was replaced by _Goombario_ of all people!" grunted Kooper. "What the screw is up with that Mario!?!?" Mario said he needed to have the knowledge of the enemy.

"Sorry, sometimes I'm what's best for everyone…" sighed Goombario, trying to act important. Link guffawed and turned away from him. Everyone else either snickered or coughed.

* * *

The next room, there was another assault, but the group took care of it easily. It wore them all out though, so Link passed the Shrooms and syrup around. Samus was so amazed to see how Mario's world was so different from hers…A Pyro Guy was trying to sneak up on them, but Samus saw him at the last moment and she whirled around.

"NOT TODAY!" she shouted, catching everoyne else's attention. Samus' arm sparked ot life, and a brightly lit energy beam/laser ball shot out and plowed into the poor Shy Guy. It was so sudden with so much force (and he wasn't expecting it) that it made him fly backward at a Sonic speed, crash into the wall, collaspe, and die. A gasp spread through the team and Samus put her weapon out of sight. She lightly laughed. Everyone took 5 steps away form her.

"Epic." whispered Kooper.

* * *

The final room of the west side held a pink lever. When Mario pulled it, he revealed that the broken part of the track was now fixed, and they could head to the next station.

"Joy! Now we get to cram in the train again!" Kirby complained. The crowd of friends let out signs of distress. Samus raised an eyebrow, but Link gave her a look that meant she would regret it. When she saw the inside of the train, it made her flip. Link tossed Goombario out on the track, again, and stuffed Bombette into his hat. Kirby and Bow disappeared from sight and tangebleness. Kooper hid in his shell, Parakarry stayed as close to the ceiling as he could get, Mario squeezed in the corner, and Samus took up whatever room was left. The train hissed to life, yet again missing Goombario on the tracks, and they rolled off to Green Station, wondering what the next problem would be…

* * *

**Hooray! Samus! Man, I love how she goes wild with her cannon, it's awesome. Trust me, she's going to prove her bad-a$$ ness. XD How? Hmm...maybe in this chapter, maybe in a future one. You'll just need to keep reading to see. ;)**

**Next time-**

**The newly updated team explores Green Station! With Kirbow moments, Link antics and jokes, Shy Guy ownages, Samus pwns, and Kooper moments, what insaneness is going to unfold? **


	31. Green n' Gambling

Paper Mario X

Chapter 30: Green n' Gambling

At Green Station, the gang exploded out of the cramped space in record time. Kooper gasped for air while Bombette tried to get Link's hat stench out of her nose, despite the fact she didn't have one. There was only one direction to go in Green Station, and that led to the east side. Mario glanced at the four colorful boxes they passed with suspicion. He would come back later anyway. As the leader, he led his fellow heroes down the path ahead.

* * *

_Kammy Koopa was back yet again and made a Super Soda appear next to another chest. She shook her head with dismay before she left…_

* * *

The next room had three conveyer belts in the way. One went forward, one went backward with coins, and one just went backward. Mario chose the one with coins. However, once they advanced, they all realized it was a network of opposing directions hitting each other. The constant changing made a few people trip. There was no control in what direction they went in. Up, down, left right, down, back, to, fro, Willy, nilly…They did it all. Kirby saw a yellow Shy Guy with a piece of paper on his head. That was a neon sign to go steal it. Using Bow's power to get past a fence, Mario and co. cornered it with no mercy! When they entered battle, Mario noticed they were all the same colors as the boxes he had seen. He thought maybe that the order the boxes were in were the order the Shy Guys needed to fall…The guess was passed around to everyone else and they agreed to defeat them in green, yellow, red, then blue. But when they tried that, it turned out it was wrong. Mario adjusted the plan and made it yellow, green, red, and then blue.

Mario spin jumped the yellow one, with Kooper following suit with a ferocious spin. The Shy Guys went for Mario, taking away a total of only six. Link and Bombette massacred the green one, and Link guarded all the Shy Guy attacks. Kirby and Bow finished off the red one (then didn't take any damage, thanks to Outta Sight), and Samus blasted the blue one to bits, with some help from Parakarry.

"That wasn't too bad…" Kirby decided

"It was too easy! What does it take for a challenge?" Kooper wondered.

Link hid a secret smile.

* * *

Mario read the Mystery Note the Shy Guy dropped. He couldn't read it, so he decided to take it to someone who could.

"Must be pretty advanced if Mario can't read it…" Samus joked, making everyone chuckle. Mario was mad at first, but then lightened up. Kirby pointed out a bright red machine with a flashing blue green start button.

"Can't ignore…button…" Kirby sighed.

"Don't Kirby…" Bow warned.

However, Kirby ignored her and hit it anyway. It turned out, the machine was a slot machine; the pictures on it began to whirl. All the flashing lights and colors mesmerized Kirby.

"Are you going to try to get the jackpot Kirby?" Link asked.

"I would! I want to see the prize!" Bombette squealed. Link chuckled and patted her fuse, as he always did.

"I…can't…too…hypnotized…" Kirby whispered.

"Link! Just play the game so we can go, and get Kirby back to himself…" Bow ordered, hand covering her face.

"Awesome! A distraction from saving the world!" Kooper chuckled. Everyone raised an eyebrow. "What? I'm getting stressed!"

"All right! I love to gamble!" Link grinned with his teeth showing. He hit the first block, which was a star. When he bashed the second one, it was a star too.

"Oh! Only one more star and you'll win!" Bombette cried.

Link took a deep breath. It wasn't so bad before, but now it was serious. The gang was shouting at him to hit it, then wait, also wait a while then hit it…and he just went for it. Everyone watched as the pictures rolled to a stop. It seemed slower that the previous two. Finally…it stopped on a…Shy Guy.

"Oh no!" Bombette sighed.

"So close…tisk, tisk…" Goombario half-mocked.

"Wait! It hasn't stopped moving…" Kirby observed in his wide-eyed trance. Everyone glanced back at the last picture and it was still moving very slowly. When it completely stopped for SURE, this time it was a Star. Link thought he was in heaven when 15 mushrooms flew out of the machine. He would've collapsed if it weren't for Bombette screaming in excitement.

"Holy! There are more mushrooms than I can fit in my bag!" Link exclaimed. "How about we have a feast? We're all pretty low anyway. Bombette, get the syrup! We're having one of my specialties…"

"What! You win the lottery, and suddenly we're going to have a picnic?!?!?" Goombario screeched.

"This is for the greater good! I can't carry all of these…besides…we're pretty beat up!"

"Sweet! This is my idea of relaxation!" cheered Kooper.

"Yeah, my bag is getting a bit heavy too…" added Parakarry.

Samus looked on as Link set Bombette under a fire of burning wood blocks. He placed 9 mushrooms onto a pan he pulled out of nowhere and set it on the "campfire". He turned to Samus.

"Samus? Do you like your mushrooms with the syrup baked on, or have it drizzled after?" he asked.

"Ew! Who eats syrup with mushrooms?" she gagged. Everyone was smacking their lips when Link poured a full container of honey onto their delicacy. Link passed the first one to Bombette, then to Kirby.

"Obviously all of us…here. You're new, so just have a little taste of this one! It's even better!" Link laughed while holding out a blue mushroom with maple syrup doused onto it. Samus cautiously took it, moved the helmet off her face, and bit into it. It was so delicious she didn't have time to make a snide comment. Link winked as she shoved the rest of it down, and then asked if she could try the other, even if it wasn't as good. The Green Hero chuckled and grabbed the next perfectly cooked one. Samus' taste buds were on vacation.

"Wow Link! This is yummy. Good use of Bombette too!"

Bombette giggled. Her fuse was lit, but she was forcing it to burn slowly so that all the Shrooms could cook. Samus was full, and so was everyone else. Link was just finishing his while Goombario was shouting that Link didn't make him one. Link retorted that he miscounted, but everyone knew better than that. Still, Bombette and Kirby chortled nevertheless as Goombario sulked. The look on his face actually made Samus let out a laugh. Link beamed.

"All right. That was a very relaxing meal Link, My compliments to the chef!" Samus joked. Link shrugged.

"Kiss the Cook!"

"Don't push your luck, Elf." Goombario howled at that. "We still need to get out of this toy box, and now that we're refreshed we should do that. C'mon. Pick yourselves up and let's get this done…"

Mario nodded and stretched. Looking forward, there was now block stairs that led to a block path with blocks that moved up and down. When everyone rushed in at once, they ended up getting separated.

"Hey! Where'd you go? You were right there!"

"I'm behind the pink block!"

"OW! MY LEG IS CAUGHT!"

"I think found-OUCH! Why are you sitting there? I couldn't see you!"

"It was the block blocking your vision."

"Wow Link…"

"Ha! I'm higher than you!"

"…in some cases that's not a good thing…"

"Shut up Goombario…"

"SHUTTING!"

"Sugar! We're going down!"

Mario finally found the way out of the colorful wooden maze. Except, to get everyone across there, Parakarry had to fly them all across. He was near dead when he finished with Samus in his arms.

"Dear Lord woman! Lose the suit or lose some pounds!" he wheezed. Samus stuck her arm canon at him and proceeded in a challenging stance.

"You want to try saying that again? Don't forget that Shy Guy…"

Parakarry hid in his shell and scooted over to Mario. Mario raised an eyebrow to Samus who simply strutted past him. He shook his head and went to grab the Super Soda Kammy left. Kirby shrieked and begged Mario to give it to him. He knocked Mario over in excitement.

"I'm sorry! That mushroom left me parched!" he gasped. Mario sighed and handed the drink to Kirby. The pink puff drank that _and_ ate the can in one gulp. The gang only stared until it made Kirby feel uncomfortable. To break the silence, he opened the chest next to where the soda had been and pulled out the contents. It was only a dictionary.

"Humph. Some prize this is!" Kirby groaned.

"Whatever. We've scanned all of this station. We need to head to the last one and find that Star Spirit!" Link ordered.

"Since when did you take charge?" Goombario sneered.

"I'm not. Mr. Quiet rarely says anything, and you have to read his mustache to find out what's happening. So, I do that, and I tell you what he wants to say!"

Mario glared at Link for insulting his stache, but he brushed it off and backtracked through the bright world.

"I love it here! It's so vividly colorful and…just meant to be played with!" Bombette expressed. Link smiled softly.

"It's too bad it's being used for evil…somehow."

"Yeah! It feels so innocent!"

Back at Green Station, they realized that they couldn't go to the last station because the tracks had been lifted up. Link observed the colorful pieces that were supposed to be track, and then at the large, colored boxes.

"I think we have to hit these to make them fall…" he pondered.

"Yeah, but in what order?" Kirby piped in, ruining Link's hope.

"Nice Kirby! There's goes MY idea!"

"I was trying to help!"

Mario knew if Kirby and Link were right, then they needed to find out how to hit the boxes. He remembered the parchment in his hands and told his friends to squish into the train. They hesitantly did, headed for blue station, went back to Toad Town, went to Russ T.'s house, gave him the dictionary and had him decipher the parchment, found out it told them what to do, went back to the toybox, and drove back to Green Station to hit the blocks by yellow, green, red, then blue. Everyone was exhausted when they reached the red station…

* * *

**Sorry about not having enough Samus content in here. For her, she was just kinda getting used to the group. But she's definately going to become a lot more important next time when _Watt_ arrives...:P**


	32. Seeing Red, Then Black, and the Light

Paper Mario X

Chapter 31: Seeing Red, then Black, and then the Light

Red Station was easier to get to than the previous ones. There was more room now that they had seating arrangements. Bombette needed air so Bow fanned her to get her to breathe normal again. Kirby grinned at her kindness. If only he could do something for her...

* * *

Kooper noticed the familiar Health Block to the side, which was the sign of something bad, causing Goombario to enter his "I'm afraid of that boss" phase. Link kicked him to tell him to man up, and stomped past him into the area to the right. As soon as they all entered, a Shy Guy jumped 5 feet into the air and quickly bounded over a ten-foot wall.

"Sweet! Super jumping abilities!" Link exclaimed.

"Hey…good thing there's a crack in that block…" Samus pointed out. She glanced down to Bombette and Link understood.

"Go Bombette! Use Bomb!" Link called as he threw her to the crack. She yelled a battle cry as she exploded into the wall, making a passage to go through. Link gained 200 experience points. Kirby raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why did you treat just her like a Pokemon?" he asked.

"I was thinking about the time you and I went to that world and I pretended you were a Pokemon named Kirbyfluff!"

"Yeah, then that Poke-nerd thought I was a rare species of Jigglypuff and tried to hunt me down!"

The two laughed at their memories until Samus reminded them they had a job to do. Instantly they recoiled and followed the Shy Guy. When they got close enough, they realized a whole horde of Shy Guys were on the other side of the wall. The ground started to quake, which really wasn't a good sign. The blocks that used to be the wall now tumbled under the shaking, scaring the Shy Guys off into the deep unknowns of the toy box. Where all toys never return…

"After them!" Link ordered, brandishing his sword and pointing forward. Samus cheered and prepared her arm for some intense blasting. She accidentally got a little careless and shot at a Spy Guy patrolling the scene. It ended up with the same fate as the other one. Everyone shivered.

"Samus…how much power does that thing have?" Kirby asked cautiously.

"That wasn't even the peak. I've been trying to get it to do the Zero Laser, a very strong laser beam. I'm guessing it's so powerful, it can't stay stable enough…" Samus explained.

"…now I'm scared."

"Oh, wah!"

Link and Mario gave them both dark looks. Kirby walked away while Samus rolled her eyes. They entered the next part of the box of toys, which was pitch black...ah, memories.

"NO NOT AGAIN!" Goombario sobbed. "I still have the trauma from the last time!"

"Seriously, go get some Courageous Cactus from the desert!" Link snapped while holding Bombette so she wouldn't get lost.

"Doesn't anyone have a flashlight or some kind of light?" Samus complained.

They all ignored Samus-or maybe just didn't answer- while making their way down the dark hall. Everyone was tripping over Goombario who was running around, especially Samus. Her suit caused her to fall like a tree on top of Goombario. He wailed out as Link cackled along with Kirby and Bombette. If it wasn't dark, he'd give them a "if looks could kill". Samus stood up, stepped on him, and continued down. If she could see, she'd blast him…

"Don't be s-s-scared Bow. I'm right here…" Kirby assured with his teeth chattering, patting her hand.

Bow snickered, "Ha! You're the one that's scared! I can hear your teeth hitting each other and your heart beating. If you've forgotten, I live in the darkest forest around!"

Kirby was shot down. He could hear faint "oooohs" and "Burn!" from a select few, but couldn't match sounds to faces. Either way, he sulked in his own little dark spot. Emotion would have blinded his way if it wasn't for the black. This time he fell because of Kooper hiding in his shell. Or was it…

"Does anyone get the feeling were not alone…" Kirby whispered.

The gang stopped and could have sworn some force was pushing against them. Samus froze.

"I think I saw a Shy Guy face…" she gasped silently.

"Yeah…I'm gone!" cried Goombario, who tried to run.

Something kept him close.

"Let go of me Link! I'm serious this time!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Both my hands are busy keeping Bombette close!"

"Yeah! I second that."

"When are you serious?"

"Ow! Something…AHHHHH! MOM!!!!!" the mushroom bellowed in the echoic darkness. The group saw him being dragged away, but what was dragging him?

"Okay…I know that was Goombario and I should be glad…but that was creepy…" Link murmured.

"Something stepped on my foot!" Bow snapped.

"You don't have a foot Bow…" pointed out Kirby.

"Oh yeah…well, something hit me, that's all I know…"

"Aw! Something punched my eye!" Parakarry complained.

Mario whammed his hammer down on the unsuspecting, only hitting Kirby in the process. He blushed while Kirby cried bloody murder. Bow couldn't help but chuckle. Mario laughed uneasily as he went to whack something else. It was a Shy Guy.

"I think were being carried…" Bombette choked.

"What makes you say that?" Kooper snorted, who had stopped walking yet was still moving.

Mario put on a freaked out face and panicked. They all were suddenly picked up. Everyone screamed from the terror as they were carried _into the light_…of the Red Station.

"We're alive!" Kirby cheered. "That _wasn't _a death tunnel!"

"There's got to be someway through there…" Link thought.

"Maybe we could go down the left path?" Bow suggested. "That would probably be in our best interest…"

"It's all we got. Let's go!" urged Samus.

She led her comrades to the other side of the station, where another path indeed was. The entire place before them would have been a paradise for small children…if it wasn't being used for evil purposes. The first enemy they spotted was a Pyro Guy. They took it and its accomplices down before any harm was caused. Mario decided to go back around and climb on the platform, which led to a brick tower. Using that, he jumped onto another platform. While navigating the up and down blocky obstacles, Samus noticed a Super Block and showed it to Link, who quickly told her to keep it down.

"Goombario is the only one who hasn't upgraded, and we can't let him get that. We'll wait until we get another partner…" Link explained. Samus nodded. Even though Goombario wasn't there, she needed to keep this on the down low. They noticed everyone else was already on the other side of the room and quickly caught up to them as they entered another dark area.

o.O

"Wee hee hee hee hee hee…Someone…has come… Someone is here in the dark…" a voice moaned. Parakarry peed his pants. Bombette huddled against Link. Kirby jumped into Bow's arms. The light suddenly brightened, and revealed an ugly ghost with a lantern. Goombario would've passed out at this moment, but Kooper did that for him.

"Wee hee hee hee…oh…could it be? Wee hee hee hee…It's Mario!"

"GHOST!" Kooper shouted. Parakarry started to scamper off, but Samus kept him in place. The ghost stomped over to them all, entering the light. Mario, Link, Samus, and sort of Kirby took fighting stances while the partners went with their respective owners.

"Looks like you're MINE, Mario…wee hee hee hee! I won't let you go…anywhere…"

"Quit with the laugh! You're dam-" Bombette glared menacingly. "You're _dang_…freaky!?" finished Link, eyeing Bombette.

"Battle time!" Samus called, one hand on her cannon. Everyone took ten steps back.

Mario began with Kooper instead of him, but his attacked missed in the dark. Mario then thought over a battle plan. The ghost did say it hated light…they needed more…he glanced around at his friends and spotted Bow. He told Link to let Kirby and Bow go before them, and he agreed immediately. Mario hammered the lantern for an experiment to finish his turn. The light lit up only a little, and the ghost briefly made it flash in Mario and Parakarry's eyes. They had to blink to get their eyes working. Kirby let Bow go first, and she smacked the lantern with force. The room lit up in a quick flash, making it almost blinding.

"Way to go, Bow!" Kirby cheered.

"Did you expect something less?" she smirked.

Kirby smiled at her before taking his cutter to the ghoul. It chopped away six. The Lantern Ghost grunted as he blew out the lantern again, and entered sweet darkness once again. Bombette decided to take her turn first and used Bomb on the lantern to see how bright it would get. It was decent enough to get a good light, so Link took a chance and used Jab, which he hadn't used in a while. It did a perfect command, taking away another six. The ghost didn't attack. It blew out the lantern again. Samus groaned and sent Parakarry to do some damage. She could only see briefly after his shell attack, so she kept it simple with a Power Punch. The light wasn't bright enough for the Big Lantern Ghost to blow out, so he used flash again instead. It didn't do anything to Samus, and only did one to Parakarry. They gave each other a knuckle touch. Mario brightened the lantern more with a Power Bounce, and then had Kooper do his FP move. Their FP was beginning to shrink. The phantom roared with pain, blowing out the light once again.

"Hey Bombette! This guy needs to lighten up!" Link scoffed. "Think you can brighten his day?"

"I'd be happy to!"

She blew up again, with Link following up with Sword Slash as everyone groaned at his "light" jokes. The light was once again not bright enough, so the ghost freak attacked with Butt Thwomp, taking five from Link. Bombette asked if he was okay; he winked. Kirby sighed as he watched that. He wanted Bow to have some concern, or to be concerned for, at least. He watched in agony as she whacked the lantern into shape, making light pour onto the walls. Kirby followed up with Final Cutter again. Lantern Ghost blew out his lantern. Samus grunted again. Parakarry flew his shell into the lantern, with Samus following up with her missile.

"One more hit, Mario!" She called. Lantern gave her a nice flash. Since the light was still on, Mario built up all the power in his hammer and brought it down on the ghost, finally defeating it. The stupid ghost ran off in a huff, leaving the lantern behind. Mario poked the light source, and it talked back.

"Hi mister! I'm Watt. Can you…um…get me out of here?" the object asked, sounding like a little girl. Mario was going to break it with his hammer, but Link wanted Bombette to blow it up. Mario didn't argue and stepped aside. Link set her down, her fuse glowing. When she detonated, the glass cracked, and what seemed like a little spark was literally a Lil' Sparky.

"Cough…cough…" everyone, including the light bulb, coughed.

"You're crazy mister! Did you have to blow it up to get me out? Jeepers!" she gagged. Bombette was highly offended, as was Link.

"I can't help my explosion to save you smelled a little off! It was probably the inside of that lantern!" Bombette snapped harshly. Samus chuckled under her breath.

"It wasn't Bombette's fault, bulb…" Link muttered.

The spark ignored them; she was now focused on Mario. "Hey! Aren't you…um, Mario?"

"I'm Link!"

"Kirby here…"

"Samus."

Watt stared blankly at the other three and they all scowled. "You just saved me like a hero! You're a hero aren't ya? You're the coolest! You saved me from the mean guy that laughed like 'wee hee hee'!"

"Ha! He didn't do anything! That was all me!" Bombette growled.

"Calm down…don't let her light your fuse…" Link soothed.

"I gotta make it up to you! I'll go with you Mario! Okay?"

"NO!" Bombette roared. This was the first time she and Goombario agreed. If Goombario was around.

"Bombette! She can help us get through that mob of Shy Guys!" Link input in a hiss.

"I'm sorry…"

"I know you are mad, but ya gotta take it easy…don't be Goombario…"

"I heard the, um, Shy Guys saying that you were trying to save Princess Peach from Bowser. You're super great! You're the greatest great guy! I think you're the best!"

"Someone's sparky…"

"So, um, I want to help. I'll be good, really."

Mario nodded and she giggled. Bombette sniffed and turned away. Samus grinned a little bigger until Watt floated over to her. Mario thought that was her soul partner. Samus made a slight face.

"Um…I don't know…It's the same feeling I get when Parakarry's my partner, and it's nowhere near as close as Link and Bombette's or Kirby and Bow's…" Samus explained. Mario shrugged and took Watt back. Once again, Kooper was without a master. Samus thought that was an upgrade and traded Parakarry for Kooper. Parakarry cried, but she didn't care. There was still had no connection, but it _was_ better than Parakarry.

"Ohh, it's pretty dark huh? I kinda like the dark…" Watt laughed. "But, um, now I can show you how helpful I can be, okay? Use my power, okay?"

Mario said okay, and when he used her power, the light expanded into the darkest reaches of the room. It made Bombette cringe. Watt was now bragging about her power and it made the little pink Bomb Buddy sick, which also kinda reminded her of how Bow was at first… Link hugged her and told her to let it go. She didn't want to disappoint Link so she nodded. They followed everyone else out the door.

* * *

**Wow, that's a lame ending! Oh well...next is the boss battle, and then my absolute favorite chapter, CHAPTER 5!!! I don't think I can wait another week to start it, that's how much I love it! :D Hm...at least 5 reviews (maybe 6) and I'll totally put the boss/ Peach (REALLLY IMPORTANT this time, all while being hilarious!) chapters Sunday/ ;)**

**Next Chapter- The gang prepares to fight General Guy! Whatever happened to Goombario? How will the gang so awesomely own this criminal master mind? Review to be able to find out!**

**and-**

**Peach and Zelda are busted by someone that makes _Zelda_ bow in fear, and end up having to bake a cake or two. Secrets are revealed, including one that might just change Amy's life -and someone else's- forever. (HINT HINT)**


	33. General Guy: Leader of the Die Guys

Paper Mario X

Chapter 32: General Guy: Leader of the Die Guys

They all were at the edge of the right path. If it wasn't to save the Spirit, it was for Goombario. This was highly unlikely. Speaking of, on the way back, Samus told Mario about the Super Block she found, and told him to give it to Watt. Mario wanted to give it to Goombario, but he wasn't around, so he had to give it to Watt. Against his wishes. She was even more energetic. Bombette choked.

In the dark room, they heard Goombario's squeal, making them all smile at his pain. Mario hit the light's switch, and the room went into a blaze. The gang noticed the Shy Guy team pushing against something. One cried, "Run for it!" and the wall suddenly exploded, putting Bombette to shame. The Guys escaped though there, with Link, Kirby, and Samus on their heels. Mario and Parakarry had to hustle because of Watt. Either way, Goombario wasn't there to tell them to turn back, because the boss laid in there.

"So you came, did you?" a Shy Guy voice asked. Link, Kirby, Samus, Bombette, Bow, and Kooper stood frozen when Mario arrived. Goombario was tied up behind the leader of all the Shy Guys.

"I'm General Guy. We're following the orders of King Bowser by guarding a Star Spirit. As long as we keep it secure, we can do whatever we want. You hear?"

"How could we not, Captain Loud?" snorted Kooper. "I bet a deaf baby could hear you!"

"I don't care for you, sir. You are rude, and furthermore, you're trespassing in here. Our Toy Box is off limits to the likes of you! The treasures inside this box are for Shy Guys only! And that Star Spirit's fate is none of your business! You can have your mushroom back. He was too annoying anyway." General Guy then tossed Goombario over to them as if he was a sack. He crashed face-first into Parakarry. "Prepare to fight me, sir! TASTE DEFEAT! CHARGE!"

The Shy Guys surrounding him enclosed on the heroes. The long battle began.

Mario untied Goombario and told him to tattle. He grumpily did, and discovered that the Shy Squad had 15 HP and an attack of how many Shy Guys it had, which would be the same as the HP if you thought about it. Mario started off a bit extreme. He summoned Skolar to perform Star Storm. It took seven away from the 15, evening the odds. Mario and Goombario waited for the pain of the remaining eight to hit them, but nothing happened. It was odd. Bombette blew up, and Link topped it off with a Sword Slash. The Brigade got scared and ran away while General Guy complained how they made him sick and thought he was the only one with guts. Luckily, the crew knew this was not the end. A Shy Guy with light sticks in his hand ran in as General Guy drove in on a weird machine that rocked back and forth. General Guy accidentally hit the Shy Guy, making him cry and scurry off.

"What a wimp," commented Link.

"No one has tough skin like you do, Link!" Samus grumbled.

"No one has a metal suit like you do, Samus!"

"Mario! You, sir, will pay! You beat my infantry, but that's all you'll do!" General roared. "Prepare for the next wave!"

Suddenly, two Stilt Guys fluttered down to Earth and took a stance on their stilts.

"Oh joy! You brought performers to entertain us! That'll sure keep us distracted while we're wailing on them!" Samus stated, dripping with sarcasm. General shot a look at her.

"I hope they don't poke our eyes out with those sticks!" Link called.

"Quiet! It's our turn!" Kirby hissed. Bow smacked the first one to death, and then Kirby laughed as he performed a perfect action command on the second, launching his attack up to seven to defeat it. It was also a stylish move; So Kirby tossed his hammer in the air and spun around, then caught it behind his back. Bow clapped. General Guy was bewildered as Samus snickered.

"Grrrrrr…unbelievable! I guess it's time for my special battalion…" the general muttered. He continued to babble as several Shy Guys came out of nowhere and formed into two stacks. General laughed and sent them to attack. Samus actually laughed when she launched a missile at the bottom Shy Guy of both stacks. It made them all tumble down on the spot with Kooper shooting into the first stack and getting rid of another. The remaining Shy Guy launched rocks at the two. Both fighters felt no damage. Mario performed Spin Hammer to say good-bye to the second Shy Guy in the first Stack, and Watt took care of the last one. The other stack launched some projectiles at them.

"Let me drop some stacks on ya!" Link mocked, jabbing away. The double point of the sword was enough to knock two Shy Guys out of the stack and Bombette blasted the leftover to bits.

"…Gah! Grrr…Fine I'll beat you myself! Nobody embarrasses the brave Shy Guys of my army! Nobody!"

"Nobody but us, apparently!" Samus chortled. This battle was having some effect on her. General Guy glared before retreating into his strange machine.

"Aw! Look at the cute little toy tank!" Kirby teased as he slammed down on the light bulb with his hammer. He already knew how high the defense of the tank would be. Bow slapped the rest of the light bulb's life with her smack. General Guy tossed a bomb at them, but Kirby defended it in time. Samus aimed carefully at the tank, and then used the last of her FP to blast another missile at it. It only drained two. She was a tad disappointed, but it didn't matter when Kooper attacked with his awesome shell. It didn't do much either. After another bomb from the general, Mario summoned Watt to do her electric attack, which didn't bow down to the tank's defenses. General yelled at them for that, but they now had a weapon. Mario decided to use the pass on, much to the dismay of Bombette and Bow. Kooper stepped down with ease though. After Mario was hit with yet another bomb, Watt was passed down to Link. Link let her go first, used her dash, then followed up with his sword hack.

"He's almost done. Three to one more hits left!" Link observed.

"That's great!" Samus cried, using her Paralyzer that seemed to make the tank immobile, to the joy of everyone. Watt happily followed with another electro, after being passed to Kirby. Kirby hammered, and then when Watt used her move one more time with Samus, General Guy had been defeated. At last. Bombette was so excited she ran into Link's arms. He hugged her and they celebrated. Kirby put up his hand for a high five, but Bow saw Link and Bombette and hugged him anyway.

"I…just feel great that we won. Don't have any thoughts…" she warned.

"Whatever…" Kirby dreamily replied. Bow shook her head, but she still blushed. That's when Kirby noticed they all leveled up.

"That's weird…" Samus admitted.

"We do it when we do it…" Link shrugged.

Samus upped her HP and Mario also took HP again. Link and Kirby chose FP. Claps were passed around while General Guy and his lackeys ran around the group in a mad craze.

"Yay! Yippee! We beat the Shy Guys!" Watt cheered. "Hm hm hee hee hee! You weren't so tough, you silly old Shy Guys! I beat 'em up…didn't I, Mario?"

"Yeah! You sure had a bright idea!" Link put in. Bombette snorted.

Before any arguments could break out, a sudden glowing white dot floated over to Mario. It transformed into a card, and everyone knew what that meant. Mario tapped the card and it turned into the Star Spirit Muskular. Now that they had four, there was only three more Stars out there…along with the last other world hero.

* * *

**I bey you all can tell Sonic's coming up next, right? Well..even with all the humor, there still is an abundant amout in drama in Chapter 5...so get ready. What is it? You'll have to read the Peach Chapter to find out...**


	34. In the Kitchen with Peach

Paper Mario X

_Yipers! I HAD planned to post this somewhere betweeb 12-4, but then I was watching a marathon and...well, I forgot. Thanks to XIV, I remembered! Sorry this is a tad late...but contain very important info!_

* * *

Chapter 33: In the Kitchen with Peach

Subtitle: Cooking Up the Worst News

_Up in a castle far, far away…_

Peach and Zelda were having a quick chat with Twink while Amy sat on Peach's bed, depressed.

"Hey…Twink. Those guards must have stopped paying attention to us again…" Peach whispered.

"I know. What kind of guard can't even guard someone like us without being so lazy?" Zelda grumbled. "It makes me sick that I can't even be _captured_ properly!"

"Let's sneak out of here. We might be able to find some news to help Mario!"

"…and Link!"

"Right. Don't forget Samus and Kirby too!"

"Do you think it's still safe to use that secret path?" Twink asked in caution. "Don't you think Bowser's figured it out by now?"

"No. He might be powerful, but he hasn't made himself smarter…" Zelda scoffed.

"It's still all right Twink. Bowser hasn't noticed anything," Peach assured. "He looks scary, but he's majorly a total bonehead. Let's get out of here. C'mon!"

Peach quickly rushed over to the button while Zelda trailed behind. She glanced at sad little Amy, and had to comfort her.

"Amy…are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Do I look okay? My future boyfriend has disappeared and is possibly dead and you want me to be okay?" Amy snapped.

"Calm down. I know that part. Are you coming with us on one of our info-missions?"

"Nope. Go. I don't want to learn anything…"

"But what if it's good?"

"What are the odds? I'm not going Zelda, now hurry. Peach can get impatient…"

Zelda knew that, and looked at Amy one last time. Her beautiful pink face was tinted with a shade of black. Her eyes even seemed a twinge duller and less energetic. As she fell back onto her stomach, Zelda heard Peach suddenly yell and she darted off to follow her. When she caught up with Peach, Peach was already spinning on the second fireplace. Zelda gasped and leaped on at the last moment.

"Are you that impatient?" Zelda grunted.

"I couldn't wait! That sadness was getting to me!" Peach retorted with her arms folded. "Now come on. We have to go out into the main lobby again."

"Ugh…"

Peach and Zelda exited the room, and kept to the walls. A guard almost spotted Peach, but Zelda pulled her out of the way at the last moment. They decided to start at the dining room to see if anyone was talking there. There _was_ someone there…

"Urp…huh? Who are you?" the guy asked. Zelda was guffawed. A really **fat** Shy Guy was in the corner, waiting for what was probably food.

"I'm…Zelda?"

"Why, I'm Princess Peach! And who might you be?"

"OH! You're Princess Peach. Everyone calls me Gourmet Guy for some reason. I guess I'd better report to King Bowser. You're not supposed to be out of your room," the chunk explained. Zelda put on a horrified expression. "But I AM really hungry…I'll tell you what. I'll keep this a secret if you make me something really yummy. So, Princess Peach, what do you say? Will you cook me something or what?"

"I guess?"

"I'd love to cook for you Mr. Gourmet Guy! But…I have no ingredients and no utensils."

"Aw, that's no problem. There's a kitchen one floor below us. It's five-star! You can go cook there!"

Gourmet gave Zelda the key to the next floor and warned them of all the guards. Peach said they'd be careful and swiftly left the room with a dazed Zelda.

"How does a Shy Guy get so…big?!" she exclaimed.

"Zelda, it's not nice to make fun of someone's size!"

"But it's so noticeable!"

"I don't care. Pretend he's the cute little Shy Guy he's supposed to be…"

"Yeah. _That'll_ be easy."

"Just put the key in the lock."

Zelda sniffed, but stuck the pink flower key in the lock and turned it. On the next floor, it didn't seem like there were many guards, but when they went down the steps, it was pretty hard to miss them all patrolling. Peach and Zelda waited for the right moment, and then made a run for it when the coast was clear. It ended up with Zelda pulling Peach around the guard's view as they carefully and violently made their way over to the door supposedly under the dining room. It seemed like a bedroom, with a closet shaking.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" Twink called out. Zelda and Peach jumped. They forgot he was even there. Peach went over and pulled the doors open, revealing that Toad was hiding in there. He quickly jumped out in a frenzied state.

"Oh no! I'm caught for sure! …huh?!? Princess Peach! You're ok! Thank the stars!" Toad gasped.

"You're a Toad from the castle? How long have you been hiding in there?" Peach asked.

"Well, since Bowser took over. I was so scared of being caught that I jumped into this closet…"

"Fool! A closet? You should've hid under the bed!" Zelda accused. Peach shot a look.

"I'm hiding in here until Mario saves us all. Princess Peach! You ought to hide too! It's risky out there…please don't take any chances…" Toad finished. He walked back into the closet, got cozy, and shut the door. While he was doing that, Zelda kicked open a chest and grabbed a Last Stand Badge.

"What are we supposed to do with these?! We can't throw them all in that chest!"

"Yeah we can. We still have another badge from the last time too..."

"Lead me to the kitchen…"

"Yes, Princess. We can't waste anymore time!" Twink added.

Peach gave a nod and maneuvered her way around a surveying guard who was doing his job well. Eventually, they all were able to get past him and enter the door on the left side of the right staircase where they came down from.

* * *

"Well, here's the kitchen. So… what shall we do first?" Peach wondered. Twink floated over to a bookshelf and picked out a pretty good cookbook. He handed it to Zelda so she could read while Peach made…whatever they were going to make.

"How does it look guys? Anything really yummy?" Peach asked Zelda and Twink who were going through all the recipes.

"Hang on a second…" requested Twink. "Oh! How about this? 'Special Strawberry Cake'."

"It looks really delicious Peach. I think it's perfect!" Zelda giggled.

"…sounds good! Let's whip one up! Ok, you two, read me the recipe!"

"Well…" Twink began. "Ok. Please listen carefully…" Zelda knew Twink could handle it and went over to skim another cookbook. She found the perfect thing to make Amy Rose. The princess almost laughed when she found it. She grabbed the cookbook and a few eggs, sugar, and other things to begin.

"First, put sugar and eggs in a bowl. Go ahead Princess Peach! When you've finished, let me know and we'll move on to the next step," Twink explained. Peach nodded, and when she went to get the eggs and sugar, she found Zelda doing the same thing.

"What are you trying to make?" she slightly hissed.

"Something for Amy Rose. It's just perfect!" Zelda stated.

"Just…be careful. I barely know how to use my own Kitchen!"

"I thought you made lots of cakes for Mario?"

"Only like, twice! I have my own bakery, you know! I only make cakes on special occasions!"

"Then you'd better get a load of this!"

Peach watched as Zelda flawlessly cracked two eggs at one time and poured some sugar in the bowl in one swift move. Peach was jealous, but still cautiously broke one egg at a time and dumped in the correct amount of sugar. Zelda put her nose back in the cookbook while Peach headed back to Twink.

"Now…mix and whip the ingredients in the bowl."

Peach headed over to mix the stuff as Zelda was popping in a rose-colored fruit. It smelled like a rose too…Peach wondered if it tasted like a rose…

"What kind of a fruit is that?" she asked.

"Rosy Berries. The recipe is for a 'Rosy Cheek Cake', and I knew this is perfect dish for Amy. Okay…now place in a pinch of vanilla and stir until thick and creamy…"

"While you put in your vanilla, I'll mix mine okay?"

"Sure."

Zelda reached for the vanilla and put in a pinch. Peach grabbed a spoon and started stirring furiously. It spattered around and onto her face, onto Twink, and onto Zelda's dress.

"Peach! You can't even mix properly?"

"I can't …stop!"

Her arms wound around faster and faster, causing nearly half the batter to slosh everywhere. Zelda grabbed her arm and yanked it out of the bowl- at exactly ten seconds later, as her recipe called.

"Well…it's been ten seconds, and it was mixed, I guess it is good…" Twink said with a half-smile.

Zelda ripped the spoon out of Peach's hands.

"I'm sorry! I got too into the motion!"

"You soiled my dress!"

Zelda glared at Peach until she was filled with discomfort. She continued to glare while mixing her batter to a nice, thick, rich, creamy texture. Seeing that she finally made Peach break, she took the spoon and asked if Peach wanted to lick it.

"Okay…slurp…hey! This is good! Is this what roses taste like?"

"Who knows? But it's tasty, isn't it?"

"Umhum!"

Zelda grinned and went back to her cookbook. Peach sheepishly wiped some batter off Twink and stuck her finger in her mouth as he grumpily read the rest of the recipe.

"Put flour and butter in the bowl. **_Neatly_**, please…"

Peach made a face but went back to the baking area. Zelda had finished adding her flour and was cutting a decent amount of butter to add to the "perfect" batter. As Peach carefully scooped a cup of flour, Zelda dropped in a little cream to make it creamier and began to stir yet again. The other princess placed half a stick of butter in with everything else.

"How's it coming Peach?" Zelda wondered as if she didn't know about 3 seconds ago.

"It's probably not as good as your's…but I think it'll come out right."

Zelda nodded and looked over her shoulder at the book again. Peach glanced at Twink for more instruction.

"After you're done mixing the ingredients, pour the mixture into the pan."

Zelda beat Peach to the pan, considering she'd already finished mixing. She read, "Bake for a minute" and threw the pan in the oven. She winked at Peach.

"It'll be done by the time you're done mixing…" she promised while skimming the rest of the page. Peach scowled, yet kept a steady hand while watching the other cake bake. It smelled…like roses, but in an edible way. Peach's mouth would have watered if she weren't a princess. Zelda breathed in the aroma as she pulled it out of the oven. It was so tempting to cut herself a piece when she was finished. Peach poured the batter into a different pan, and Twink told her to cook it half as long as Zelda's. Peach nodded, and stuck the cake in the pan. Staring intently on the clock to get it right the first time, she jumped when a timer went off.

"Zelda…" she gritted under her breath while pulling out her creation. Zelda hid a snicker while turning the timer off. She did smile when Peach's golden cake arrived.

"Looking good, Peach!" Zelda approved while giving a thumbs up. Peach beamed. "Now we can decorate!"

Peach cheered and picked up the strawberries and more cream. Zelda found a fridge and grabbed some frosting. She also picked a rose to add to the final appearance. She laughed at her idea to add the cream into the batter as she covered her entire cake with it. Then she used the pink frosting to make a little rose and finally, she placed the real rose's petals all over the plate. Peach could have taken a picture and sent it to a cake contest on Food Network. It would have won first prize.

"Come on Peach! I'll help you decorate yours if you want…" Zelda offered.

_Well, better get help from the expert,_ Peach thought to herself. She gave a nod to Zelda's direction and started with the cream. Once it was perfectly even, Zelda placed the strawberries on top and grinned.

"The finishing touch!" she announced.

"Yes! We made it! It looks great!" Twink cried with a huge smile.

"Now let's go make some special deliveries!"

"I want a slice of that cake…"

"We'll see, Peach. We have to give your cake to Gourmet first…"

"Oh yeah!"

Peach and Zelda both picked up their cakes and carefully carried them out the door.

"We really have to be careful this time…" Zelda whispered.

Peach nodded furiously, but this time it seemed a lot easier. The guards were on a break, so the princesses were able to reach Gourmet safely.

* * *

"Here you go!" Peach called. She held out her delicacy with pride. Zelda had to keep hers hidden in case he was extremely hungry…

"Oh! I've been waiting so long!" Gourmet yelped. "I've wasted away to nothing!"

Peach smiled and placed the cake on the table so he could eat. Zelda kept hers in tight protection.

"Thank you!" Gourmet took two steps over to the cake and ate it in one bite. Zelda's eyes would have popped out of their sockets. Gourmet then had a similar reaction to when Mario gave him Tayce T's cake. This was proven when he jumped up and flew around and ran on the ceiling once again. Zelda was on the verge of passing out.

"You are weird! WEIRD! What's wrong with you?!?!" She gaped in a scared type of awe. Gourmet was too excited to hear her. He turned to Peach when he was done with his song and dance number.

"Phew…that was really good. I haven't felt this way since…well, ever! To show you my gratitude, I'll tell you a secret. One of the Star Spirits is in Mt. Lavalava on Lavalava Island. This island is to the south."

"That's great!" Peach cried with joy. Gourmet smiled a little, and then slightly frowned.

"There's more. The one they call Sonic is there…he ran out of Dry Dry Desert and didn't stop when he hit water. Obviously because if he did, he would drown. He ended up on the island, but then the evil plant in the volcano heard from his lackeys that a friend of Mario was there. He wouldn't have that, and now he plans on drowning him…in lava…You should tell this to Mario…But remember the nasty Piranha Plant guarding the Star Spirit… "

Zelda's heart stopped. "Is he…"gone" yet?"

"Oh no! But…they plan on doing it soon, now that that's Mario's next stop…"

Zelda's lungs began to work again. She breathed heavily though. Peach was just as paralyzed as she was.

"He'd better be really careful. I really don't dislike Mario. That's why I'm telling you this."

He waddled away, leaving Zelda and Peach in a state of complete shock. Zelda pulled out her cake with her arms shaking.

"I'm really glad I baked this now…"

"We have to tell Amy…"

"I know…"

Peach turned to Twink so fast it would make Sonic cry. "Twink! Did you hear that?!?!! Mt. Lavalava! Lavalava Island! Sonic! Lava! Drown! The Star Sprit is being held in that volcano…"

"Mario could really use this information huh?" Twink asked.

"YES YOU SIMPLETON! GO TELL HIM BEFORE SOMEONE GET'S THEIR LIFE TAKEN AWAY!" roared Zelda.

Peach told Twink to hurry up and tell Mario. She was slightly sorry she kept telling him to do that.

"Of course I will! I'll do it right now!" Twink yelled. He was out the window in a flash. Then, another voice made the girls' hearts stop once again.

"What's with all the shouting? Keep it quiet in here!"

Zelda and Peach exchanged terrified looks. Kammy Koopa wormed through the door with an annoyed look.

"So…it was you two! You've got to keep it down! You're prisoners, and as prisoners, you need to keep…whuh? What are you doing out of your room, anyway!?!?!" she shouted. "GUARDS! GET THE PRINCESSES!"

The guards rushed in and picked Peach up in an instant. Zelda backed away from her guards and explained she didn't want her cake to get smashed. The guards understood and pushed her back into the room.

* * *

Amy sat up when the return of her friends was heard. She saw worried faces, a cake, a ruined dress, and no Twink.

"What's going on you guys?" she asked groggily. Peach and Zelda gulped.

"We have some good news and bad news…" Zelda started.

"All right…"

"Eat the cake first so you can handle the bad news…"

"Sure…"

"Can I have a piece?"

"I don't care…"

"YAY!"

Zelda cut the cake into three pieces and gave each girl a piece. Peach wanted to cry over how delectable it was. Either that, or cry about how upset Amy was going to be. Zelda and Amy finished faster than she did.

"Oh Zelda! It was so…rosy!" Amy giggled. Her face was bubbly again, only to have it reruined. Zelda smiled weakly. "So…can we start with the good news?"

Peach had to grab a table for support. Zelda gulped, composed herself, and began to explain. "The good news…is that Sonic is alive, and has escaped the desert-"

"OH MY GOD! HE'S OKAY!!!" Amy screamed. She ran over to Peach and choked her in a deep hug. Peach winced. Zelda tried to calm her down by explaining the bad news.

"All right…Amy, take a deep breath-" Amy did with a raised eyebrow. "-um…Sonic ended up on an island that holds the next Star Spirit, which means there's a big monster guarding it, right?"

"Yeah…where is this going? Spit it out…"

"You're not going to like it…but the big boss found out that Sonic is an ally to Mario, and decided he…needed to take a dip into a volcano…"

Now Amy's heart and breathing stopped. Peach stopped breathing too; probably because of how tight Amy was squeezing her. "You're saying…they're going to kill Sonic by throwing him into some lava?"

"That's a dark way of putting it, but unfortunately…_yeah_…"

"**AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! _NOOOOOO!!!!! SOOOONNNNNIIIIICCCCC!!!!!!"_**

The cry of agony could be heard from the far reaches of the ground. The residents of Toad Town heard it, along with Mario and co. getting ready for the next part of the adventure. Amy let out a deep gasp and collapsed on the floor. Peach gasped with an "Oh my!" and they both tried to get Amy to snap out of it.

* * *

**O.O Yikes. That doesn't sound good. Talk about a major plot twist! ...yet it still makes Chapter 5 my fav to write! *gets pelted by fellow Sonic fans* Now you have to wait another week to see what happens...**

**Next Chapter- Twink delivers the bad news, causing a certain someone to go off the deep end...and insane. not to mention the added trouble of a bumbling explorer...**

**_look out, here's the humorly and dramatic Chapter 5: Hot, Hot Times on Lavalava Island!_**

**_Review please! *^*_**


	35. The Tuna Whale

Paper Mario X

Chapter 34: The Tuna Whale

The heroes stood outside the house of the toy box. Muskular floated next to them.

"Phew! Ah…fresh air! After being coped up in there so long I could really use the outdoor exercise. My name is Muskular. Mario, I must thank you for saving me. Now it's my turn to help you…"

Mario sighed as the Star Spirit gave him the power to use Chill Out, like he was ever going to use it. His Star Power increased up to 4, though. More chances to use Star Storm. Just as the Star Spirit went to leave, Twink wailed out Mario's name. Everyone became alert. When Twink came, it was awfully important. This time was no exception...

"Mario! Mario! I have news…news from the castle!" Before Twink could explain anything, he noticed Muskular right next to him. "GASP! Honorable Star Spirit!"

"Hi! Hmmmmm…I believe you are…Twink, no?" the Star Spirit asked. "You're that youngster who just recently ascended from Starborn Valley up to Star Haven."

Twink was bewildered. A Star Spirit knew who he was. "WHAT!? You remember my name?"

"Ha ha ha! Why, of course I do! We're like family!"

"I…I…I'm so touched!" A select few snickered at his reaction.

"Ho ho ho! Don't make such a fuss lad. I'm sure you'll go on to do great things! I must make my leave now. Goodbye Twink, Mario…" Twink sighed in happiness as Muskular returned to the sky. He then remembered why he came and turned to everyone.

"Wow! I talked with Muskular, the honorable Star Spirit! I rarely have such a chance, even at Star Haven! I'm shaking!" Twink gaped.

"uh, weren't you here to tell us something a little important?" Samus asked, with her foot tapping.

"oops, I'm sorry! I have some really important news from the castle."

"Is it good or bad?" Kirby wondered. Twink cringed.

"A little of both…according to information Princess Peach, Princess Zelda, and I got …it seems that one of the honorable Star Spirits is being held at Mt. Lavalava on Lavalava Island."

"That's good…what's bad?" cautiously pondered Link.

"Well, Sonic is heard to be on that island after an excessive amount of running…"

"SONIC?!?!"

"Oh my goodness…"

"He's alive!"

"Let's go!"

"Wait!" Twink cried, a little shaky. "He's okay now…but ever since the boss guarding the Star Spirit found out he was a friend of yours, he's going to throw him into the volcano and well…I think you know the rest…"

Once again, hearts were stopped except Link's; his went twice as fast.

"What are we doing here then? We have to find him ASAP! C'mon! Hurry! We HAVE TO GO!!! This is the last chance we have and this time, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS HIM AGAIN!" Link howled.

"Link! I know this is an urgent time, but you really need to calm down. Panicking isn't going to save him…" Bombette soothed.

"I know…"

"You wouldn't believe what the princesses had to go through to get this information…I hope it will be of help…"

"OF COURSE IT WAS YOU IMBECILE!!! YOU JUST TOLD US SONIC IS GOING TO _DIE_!!! DON'T YOU THINK THAT'S A LITTLE EXTREME?!?!"

Twink frowned. "That's the same way Zelda yelled at me when I innocently told her the same thing…" Link's face softened up. "You and Zelda must be very alike if you both do that…"

"I'm sorry…Grr…"

"I'm going to rejoin with the girls now…poor Amy…Mario, as always, good luck!" And with that, Twink flew away. Link was on the verge of a seizure.

"Okay! How do we get to this Island?" Samus stated urgently.

Mario told everyone to calm down, and that they were going to give Tayce T. her cookbook on the way to the port. It would be most likely they would have a boat there anyway. Link panickly agreed and rushed everyone off. At Tayce T.'s Mario gave her the cookbook, and she was so excited she made something that took Link's mind briefly off Sonic…the legendary Jelly Ultra…

"Oh my…" he gasped as the Shroom was placed into his hands. It was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. The light gleamed against the jelly, really bringing out the green in the Ultra Shroom. Link's mouth watered thinking about the pure taste. His daydreaming was interrupted by Kirby.

"Aren't you going to eat it?" Kirby wondered hungrily.

Link prepared to chomp off a huge bite, but then had second thoughts.

"As much as I would **LOVE** to…I'm serious…I'm going to save it for when I need it," Link explained, wrapping it in velvet, placing it into a high-protection box, and slipping it into the bag. Mario gave a nod and headed for the port after the deed was done. When they reached the port, Link started to worry about Sonic again.

* * *

"Quick! Where's the boat? MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!"

"Stop screaming Link! You're hurting the ears I don't have!" Goombario hissed. Link was too mad and upset to hold back; he just whipped out his sword and started swinging absentmindedly at Goombario.

"Anyone got a tranquilizer dart?"

"Knock it off Link!" Kirby called. "Hey…I see Kolorado!"

"Kolorado?" Kooper shrieked.

Hey! Kolor!" Kirby called. Kolorado turned around.

"good day, dear boy! Nice see you too, lad." Kirby and Kooper beamed. He then glanced to Mario.

"hmmm? Who am I, you say? Why, my dear old chap, I am none other than Kolorado, famous adventurer and archeologist! I'm touring the world! And you're Mario yes? What are you doing here?"

"We were going to ask you the same thing…" Samus pointed out.

"You don't remember us?" Parakarry chirped.

"I, for one, am traveling bravely to Lavalava Island in the southern sea to solve a diabolical mystery! It would seem there are ancient treasures waiting in a volcanic cave." Kolorado explained, ignoring Parakarry.

"Oh great. He's going to be there too!" Link grunted.

"I'm in a bit of a fix though. No way to get there, you see. Hmmm…think now Kolorado! How to cross the sea…" Kolorado got lost in thought. Only Kirby and Kooper didn't seem to be disappointed in his going to the island too. Mario pondered deeply too, until he stepped off the dock. Fortunately, he landed on a light sea green/ blue platform.

"Spin Jump on it, and see if something happens!" Watt suggested. Mario didn't think of that, but it was worth a try. He jumped, then flipped, causing the platform to shake them all off in pain.

"Ouch! Yeowch! What are you doing?" the platform cried. It swam over to Mario, revealing it was actually a whale.

"Oh good heavens! I was wondering what this was! It seems to be a huge tuna!" Kolorado exclaimed.

Link leaned over to Kooper. "You might want to find a new role model…"

"No way! It's going to take something bigger than mistaking a whale for a large tuna to get me a new hero!" Kooper retorted, folding his arms and looking stubborn.

"Oooog…I'm not a tuna. I'm a whale." the whale explained. "…and I have problems!" everyone put on disgusted faces.

"What kind of problems!" Kirby asked freakishly.

"It feels like something's jumping around in my belly!"

"GAH!"

"Ow ow ow…help me!"

"I'm too freaked out at the moment…can you leave a message?"

Kolorado spoke up. "hmm…I say…old Boy, this great tuna seems to have a bit of a bellyache. Mario, what do you say you lend the fish a hand, eh?"

"Ugh…I told you, I'm not a tuna…I'm not even a fish…And I have a headache from your jumping around on me too! Do you think you could check my belly? I'm begging you, please…"

Samus reeled back. "I've seen gross things, and I'm not adding whale belly to my list! Besides, I don't want to accidentally become fish food!"

"No worries there!" Link tried to joke. "We could always give it a mushroom…"

"HEY!" shouted Goombario.

The whale opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue. Samus gagged. "I don't care. Go on without me! I might go mad and launch a missile into…something important…"

"Aw, you just don't want to get whale gunk on you-" Kirby tried to say, until all the females had a fit.

"Girls! So untough…it takes a man…" Link scoffed. Samus readied her blaster and called Link a sexist punk-hole. Link begged for forgiveness and did a curtsy to get off her bad side. She ended up laughing, but still didn't want to go in.

"I'm not going either! I don't want to ruin my bows…" Bow complained.

"Then I'm not going without Bow…" Kirby decided.

"It sounds gross! Sorry Link, I can handle Goombario throwing up on you, just not walking around in a stomach…" Bombette joined Samus, Bow, and Kirby.

"Anyone else?" Link wondered. Watt joined the crew. "Okay, we're left with Goombario, Kooper, Parakarry, and…Mario. That's gives us each a partner, and Goombario as a backup. Good luck, wimpolas!"

Link and Mario proudly stomped into the whale. Samus couldn't handle being shot down like that and grabbed Kirby. Kirby grabbed bow, and Bow grabbed Bombette. Watt floated behind Bombette because she didn't want to be left behind.

**

* * *

**

Inside the whale-

"Oh GREAT! It's dark in here!" Link complained. "But _Watt_ chickened out…"

Suddenly, the mouth burst with light, with Samus holding Watt. Link smirked. "Couldn't take the insults?"

"Shut up. You used me!"

"Sure did!"

"Just take your Bomb…"

As Link took Bombette (after being rudely hit in the head with her), Bow gagged. "Urgh, Why did we have to light up the room? I don't want to see that wriggling tongue or that uvula…"

Kirby held her hand. "Just close your eyes…I'll guide you…"

The next part of the whale wasn't any better. Crates were floating around on the outside of a bridge being held by the rib cage. A strange spiky soft thing bounced its way up to Mario, now holding Watt. It took a look at Watt and winced.

"Joy! Another creature that hates light!" Kirby hurrahed.

"Wah! Who dat?" it screeched. "What d'you think doin' with dat light?"

Mario jumped on the thing, and the whole belly lit up. Next thing they knew, it was battle time!

"Hey, fella! You wanna piece o' this? You got it! I'm ornery as I'll get out! Prepare for some pain!"

Everyone laughed. "Aw, look at the wittle furry thing!"

Mario sent Watt to do elcetrodash, which gave the thing a good beating. Mario followed up with a jump. The Fuzzipede then inched onto of the ribs. Link and Bombette groaned and let Kirby and Bow go ahead of them. Bow, began to smack it, then Kirby pulled out his Final Cutter. The fuzzipede crawled back down and hit Bow in the head and crawled back to the hiding spot. Samus sent Parakarry (since Kooper was useless) to dive into him while she charged up a missile. Everyone yelped as it was let loose and burst the fuzzipede to bits. Samus grinned sheepishly as the whale shook around.

"I told you I would go mad…"

"Not now, Samus…"

The fuzzipede explained about his sad life, and then the whale called out to Mario.

"Mario! It's me! You know, the whale? That stomachache seems to have cleared right up! I feel fantastic!" The whale bellowed.

"That's dandy. Can we go now?" Samus whined.

"Yeah, we have a life to…I don't know…_SAVE_?" Link boomed.

Before he could yell anymore, the water in the whale started to grow, with Goombario accidentally swallowing some of it. He gagged and choked until he fell under the swishy waves. The rest of them stayed afloat except Samus, who was trying her best not to sink. Next thing they knew, they were on a water ride in the air and all landed perfectly on the ground. Goombario flopped around like a fish until he managed to get some air. Link stepped on him and all the water squirted out. A few flinched. Goombario grunted.

"Hey it's you boy! You're the dumb ol' fish that ate me all up and such!" the Fuzzipede hissed. "You plumb idiot! You know, I thought I was a goner for sure!"

"I'm awfully sorry. I was just having a nap with my mouth open," the whale explained.

"Well. I suppose I can see my way forgivin' you this time, but you just watch it!" the fuzzipede turned to Mario. "Er…I reckon I owe you some thanks, after all, Mr. Mustache. Y'all take care now." The little creature hopped away semi-dramatically.

"Whew! I feel so much better now! They should call you Dr. Mario!" Whale exclaimed. Mario laughed nervously. "There must be someway I can express my gratitude…I've got it! I, the tuna, am…um, wait…I mean…I, the whale, am very good at swimming."

"I would have never guessed," input Samus.

"By golly! I knew it was a tuna! It admitted it!" Kolorado squealed. "It's an incredible find, yes siree!"

"To express my thanks, I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"Pardon the eavesdropping, but did you just say 'anywhere'?" Kolorado asked. "Mario! You old Tuna Tamer! Accompany me to the shores of Lavalava Island! What a trip it'll be! The island will be wonderful! You must trust my instincts!"

"What instincts?" Link whispered to Samus and Kirby and they snickered.

"Mario, um…" Watt started. "I think the Star Kid said a Star Spirit was…um, caught on the big Lavalava Island. We…um, we should go. Big Whale give us ride. Whee!" Everyone else raised eyebrows.

"Was she dropped on her head or something?"

"Kirby!"

"What?"

"Huh? Lavalava Island? Yes, of course I know where that is but…There's a big volcano on that island, and it's on the verge of erupting. Very dangerous…" Whale explained. Link's eyes could have fallen off his face.

"More the reason to get there now!" he yelped. The whale raised an eyebrow now.

"Do you still want to go?"

"YES! TAKE US NOW!!!!!"

"Link! Calm down!"

"I can't! This is all to extreme for me! Gah…"

He needed a good smack in the head from Samus, which sort of set him straight. He took deep breaths until Kirby handed him a paper bag. He was about to pop it; he was blowing it up with such force.

"Well…okay then. It's your call. Just let me know when you're ready to go," stated Whale.

Mario told it now, and they all hopped aboard.

"_Gulp_. Sure this is safe then? Make some room, hm?" Kolorado added as he jumped on at the last moment.

"Ok, We're off to Lavalava Island! The sea is calling!"

"I can't believe we're on a tuna," Kolorado babbled. "Mario, do you ever think about how strange life can be? I do."

"This is going ot be a loooooooong trip, I see..."

"Time to set whale for Sonic!"

"Oh Link…"

* * *

**That chapter wasn't so bad...lacked a little action though. But that's what next week's chapter (and the ones after that) are for! Yay! **

P.S. **The part with the Ultra Shroom didn't really happen as far as I know...but I read it up somewhere and decided to throw it in there. Plays a very important part later on though... ;)**

**P.S.S. my goal this week is at least 80 reviews. Currently at 77... *^***


	36. Not Your Average Yoshis Island

Paper Mario X

Chapter 35: Not Your Average Yoshi's Island

_The sea wind caressed faces, and the sea smell filled noses. Kolorado's endless talking drowned out the soft rustle of the waves and the seagulls cawing at the sight of some fish. The sun shone bright, and the sky was a brilliant blue, but they couldn't enjoy it due to the dangers that were on the horizon…_

_*^*_

Everyone gasped at how such a beautiful island could hold such a dangerous volcano. Link shivered at the thought. Everything that was a plant was lush with green, and flowers were vivid with color. Bow breathed in the fresh island air and twirled around, making Kirby sighed at how her bows shined in the sun.

"Yes, well. Finally made it, eh? So this is Lavalava Island…Smashing!" Kolorado observed. He then saw something that made him jump three feet. "Gracious! Behold Mario! There! Off in the distance! The top of Mt. Lavalava! Triumphant! We must hurry! Make haste!"

Link and everyone else suddenly became alert and looked toward the volcano. Lava was already starting to pour out of it. Link gasped.

"We DO need to hurry!" he panicked. His heart was _thumping_ in his chest. Bombette pleaded for him to settle, but he couldn't completely calm down. Kirby had ran into a tree and found a coconut. He tried to crack it open on Goombario's head, but nothing worked.

"What use does this have?" he complained.

"…throwing it at people?"

"Oh!"

"Guys…volcano!??!"

"Link…"

Nevertheless, Link was already running after Kolorado. The next area was a shore with crystal white sand. It slowed Link down, but the large triangular oval footprints kept him going. Bombette had to trip him so that everyone else could catch up.

"Hey! What was that for!" he shouted.

"You need to get over this! We'll get there in time Worry Wart!"

Before Link could very rudely reply, a cry for help rang out.

"YAAAARGH! Help, I say! Help!"

It made everyone run a little faster, but Parakarry had to take the time to pick up a letter. When Parakarry hopped off the rock, a gold fuzzy was jumping all over Kolorado. Link laughed. Kooper glared.

"Look how brave he is, fighting off that thing, Kooper!"

"I'm still not changing. It's probably _very_ vicious!"

Link rolled his eyes. Mario moaned and bonked the Fuzzy with his hammer. He did it again since he got the first strike. They groaned when there were two Fuzzies instead of one. It didn't matter because Mario already took care of the first.

"That's…um, unexpected!" Watt muttered while electrocuting the second Fuzzy. Mario had perfect timing when it came to defending himself from the monster. No HP was taken. Link let Kirby and Bow go first once again, so the combined use of slap and hammer was effective. The last Fuzzy cowered as he fell.

"Phew…you save me! Many thanks, old chum. Well, enough of that! Let's pull ourselves together and press on, what say?" Kolorado didn't wait for an answered while he scurried off.

"This guy is going to be a handful…"groaned Samus.

A few more paces, and they were at Yoshi's Village, with a giant sign. Yoshis ran free and wild, others giggled and laughed. Bow and Bombette sighed at the beauty of the village. It had a few islands within the islands! Bow laughed and immediately tried to catch some rays on an isle in the pond while Bombette splashed in the water. Link would have played with Bombette too, but Sonic needed to be okay before anything. He told her to come on while Kirby urged Bow to continue. Kirby grinned as she pretended to pout, and followed Mario to the Yoshi Chief. He was a slightly plumper green Yoshi with a feather in his head and was chatting with a friend. Mario politely interrupted.

"Welcome to you, Mario. I am the leader Yoshi of Yoshi's Village…Ah, you come seeking help-"

"-and giving help!"

"-you wish to go to Mt. Lavalava, do you?" Chief asked. "How odd. I believe Sushie said she sent someone up there…ahem. The entrance into the volcano is in the jungle, but it's very difficult to get to it. The volcano has awakened as well. I think it may be too dangerous for you to go there."

Link had a twinge of hope. If no one could go up there, then maybe Sonic was still fine! But then, who was the person this Sushie sent up to the volcano? He should have asked if it was a blue hedgehog. Worry refilled him once again. Mario tugged on him to come on, and led the group to the east. In this open area, more Yoshis ran about, and even little baby Yoshi were among them. Bombette cooed at how cute they were. A little store hut was off to the side, next to a gate. Apparently, that was the Toad House/ hotel.

"This must be the main square!" Goombario randomly stated.

"Still! Would have never guessed…" grunted Samus.

"Over there is the Jungle! Let's check it out!" Bombette urged.

"I think I hear Kolorado again…" Kooper groaned.

Mario wasted no time in going east again. Yes, another shout was heard from Kolorado again, and after passing a beautiful flower that Kirby wanted to pick, they found Kolorado being hit with a Spear. Link cackled at Kooper's "savior" being beaten by a random enemy. Kooper tried to give him a dark look, but Kolorado did look dumb. Mario tried to hit the Spear Guy, but accidentally hit Kolorado instead.

"Ow! Get a hold of yourself! What do you say you attack the enemy instead of me, hm?" Kolorado snapped while still being beaten. Mario smiled sheepishly and went to hit the Spear Guy instead. Another Spear Guy brought him company. Mario used his second attack to use Star Storm, which quickly took care of both Guys.

"Mario! You HAD to hog the action?" Samus grunted.

"Seriously! Who died and made you superstar?" added Kirby.

"I'm his biggest fan!" Goombario said proudly.

Mario weakly gave a thumbs up while Kolorado dusted himself off.

"Phew…you saved me once more. You're top notch, Mario!" the adventurer told Mario. Mario only nodded. "Now, I feel our destination, the volcano, is quite near. Let's press on while our spirits are high eh?"

Everyone but Kooper thought Kolorado was acting a little strange. He trotted off furiously again, leaving everyone else in the dust. At the other edge of the jungle, Lava was oozing off the side of the volcano. Link's heart raced again.

"Ah! Mario…Have a look at this!" Kolorado pointed out. "Looks like the entrance to the volcano, eh, old boy?" He showed everyone that the path to the entrance was blocked. Not the entrance itself. Link breathed again. Sonic could probably survive that.

"Somewhere in that volcano are the treasures I'm looking for! I know it! The secrets of an ancient civilization! And yet…I can't find a way in. Bit of a sticky wicket, hm?" Link snorted. "But I shall not give up! A good explorer never stops gathering information! Let's go back to the village to look for clues. There must be a way in there! There simply must! Come now!"

As Kolorado hurried off, the rest of the group stared at the lava flowing out of the volcano. It had Link envisioning Sonic being tossed into the hottest batch of lava the plant could find and burn him to something crispier than a crisp. He snapped out of it when Kolorado yelped yet again. Though when they reached him, he was perfectly fine.

"…Oh ho ho ho! Did you think I was being beset by enemies again, old boy? Just a bit of a joke…Explorers must have a sense of humor, don't you know!"

"I agree!" Link cried. "But…that joke just plain sucked."

"Like all of yours!" Goombario cackled. A few people had to give him points for that one. Link couldn't think of a comeback and simply let it go.

"At any rate…let's move on hm?"

Back at the village, Yoshis were freaking out and some had tears flying off their faces. Some were twitching, and some were on the ground. It was not a pretty sight. Even the chief was having an episode.

"Oh such ill fortune! The children are missing! They seemed to have secretly slipped off to the jungle! They don't know its dangers! We must get them back here to safety!" the chief explained.

"Aw! We just came back from there!" Kirby groaned.

"But we didn't see any Yoshi children…" Kooper added.

"Mario, could I ask you to look for these lost children? As you can see, the Yoshis of my village are panicking. They aren't thinking straight. I'll try to calm them down. You just find those kids!"

The chief just went back to panicking.

"That guy must be a great chief!" Samus snorted.

"Just come on. We need to get those kids back before something happens!" Parakarry ordered.

"Are you trying to override your ruler?"

"…er, no?"

Samus gave a nod and followed Mario. Instead of going to the east, they went down a path that led to the north. It was swampy with a few floating islands, and the middle island had a Spear Guy dancing on it. Mario was staring at it until he accidentally ran into a Hurt Plant that attacked him. Link cut away its life supply and it wilted on the spot.

"That was weird. I've never seen a plant that just suddenly snaps at people!" exclaimed Kirby.

Mario shivered. Link shook him a bit to regain his composure. He moaned a bit, and then pushed away the bushes that were on the path. There was a dock in the water on that side, but there was no way to get across. Mario made a note of that while turning right. However, he had to return when Goombario stuck his nose in a bush and ended up being attacked.

Mario used Star Storm again, but now his Star Gauge was dangerously low. He then summoned Kooper to use Power Shell to finish up. Everyone else complained they didn't get a chance to fight. Again. Mario shrugged. He guided them back down the right path with everyone having sour faces. Immediately as they entered, someone was screaming.

"Get back here this instant! You little ingrates!"

They crossed a small tree root bridge only to be yelled at again.

"Hey you! Down here! Look up here!"

Mario and the rest looked up to see a Cheep Cheep in a tree.

"Okay. I've officially seen everything!" Samus burst out.

"This is so embarrassing…I'm stuck in this tree. Can you help me out somehow?" she asked.

Mario pulled out his Super Hammer and whacked the tree three times. The Cheep Cheep landed on her belly with an oomph.

"Oh phew…I'm saved. I feel like one big ache. Thanks for getting me out of that tree. I think I'll be okay now. Oh! Ooh…those little…I was chasing those naughty little Yoshi boys and I fell in their trap. Don't they know how dangerous it is in the jungle? That's why I sent my helper out there…I have to find them before they get in too deep!"

Link suddenly threw himself at the Cheep Cheep. "You sent someone into the jungle? Or was it the volcano?" The Cheep Cheep waved her fins and everyone had to pull Link away.

"Wait until she's done explaining! Holy!" Samus roared.

"She's probably that Sushie person, and she sent Sonic up to the volcano!" Link gritted under his teeth.

"You don't know that for sure!"

Link glowered at Samus as the fish caught her breath. "As for you, you'd better get back to the village too. It's dangerous out there!"

"Who cares?! That's all we're hearing! 'Oh no…super scary jungle! Stay away, yet I'll go in!' You hypocrites! We are going in no matter what, sister! Unless you tell me what I want to know, consider yourself in more danger than the jungle! You just pushed me off the edge!" Link bellowed. Samus hit him on the head with her blaster to knock him out.

"Why in this world did you come into the jungle anyway?"

"As our friend over there was babbling about, one of our pals ended up on the island, and the monster in the volcano guarding the Star Spirit we're looking for plans on tossing him into the lava! That's why he was so mad about how he thought you sent him up there…" Samus explained.

"Oh my! I did send a blue hedgehog up there! He arrived on the isle one day, weak and panting. Claimed to have run across the ocean! Such endurance! After a few days of rest, he became bored and was complaining of how actionless the island is. I was fed up and told him to go check the volcano for activity…but after he left, the volcano started to ooze down the side, blocking the entrance. He never did return after that…but I didn't know someone was planning to do something like that! I would have him put in a cage for protection if I knew!"

Link sprang up and in the same move had Sushie pinned to the tree. "You plain idiot!!! How could you do something like that? Send someone into an active volcano? That's…oh my god! He could be gone already!"

"Link! Ease up!" shouted Bombette, constantly trying to throw herself into his leg. Samus gave him another good hit on the head but he didn't pass out this time, though he swore he heard something crack. It finally took Goombario spitting in his face to calm him down. Samus trapped him to the ground as Sushie tried to breathe again.

"What's wrong with him?!?!"

"Anger issues!"

"He's very close to Sonic…"

"_Ultra-Shroom Madness!"_

Samus kept her canon pointed at Link just in case as Mario explained he was also looking for the little Yoshis, ordered by the chief.

"Well! So! You're looking for those little rascals too!" Sushie said. "Then, I don't see why we can't look for them together!"

"Except that Link might go berserk on you!" Kirby input, glancing at a sobbing Goombario with Link glaring maliciously.

"They really don't understand the dangers of the jungle, so we have to find them soon. Oh my! How impolite! I haven't even asked for you name! What is it, pray tell?"

Mario: Mario

"Samus here!"

"I'M KIRBY!!!"

"…and that's Link…"

"Hmph."

"Mario huh? Hmmm. Well, I've never heard of you before…you must be from far away or something…" Goombario spazzed while the rest fainted.

"You're kidding right? This guy is world famous!!!" Goombario gasped. He was ignored.

"Welcome to Lavalava Island. That's what I'd usually say, to a visitor, anyway, but first, could you help me find those boys?"

Mario nodded. Sushie grinned and told everyone she could take them across water.

"Sonic could use you!" Kirby noted.

"Why?"

"He can't swim and hates water…"

"Ah. I don't think he'd like lava either…"

Kirby cringed and walked away from Sushie. Sushie shrugged and started to follow, but was held back by a dark-looking Link. His expression cut deep. She made a scared face. He grabbed her by the throat and grunted.

"I swear, if anything bad has happened to Sonic…I will know it was your fault and hunt you down…and it will not be pleasant…" he threatened. Sushie nodded and gasped for air. He dropped her like the flopping fish she was. Bombette gaped from behind Link.

"You're going too far Link!" she boldly stated. "Hurting innocent people because of your uncontrolled emotions?! You're…deranged!"

"Am I?" he mocked, walking away. Bombette was infuriated with Link, but at the same time worried twice as much.

* * *

**Surprise chappie! Wow, Link needs a stress ball...**

**I can't wait for the next chapter! it's my third fav! Yay! :D**


	37. Yo She's Found!

Paper Mario X

Chapter 36: Yo She's Found!

Mario explored with Sushie, and Parakarry located another letter in a tree. Samus remarked about how he wasn't such a good mailman, and he glared, even though it was likely to be true. Link stayed as far from Sushie as he could get -and everyone made sure of that. Mario took everyone back to the previous area, and they went to Spear Guy's little island. Mario let Link remove his anger out on the guy (which made Sushie freak out), and he hit the red block it was guarding. Mario equipped the Power Quake badge and carried on. Kirby frantically pointed out a purple Yoshi in a tree, but the weren't able to reach it. Instead, they swam to the west.

Swimming in another pond, Samus pointed out a Super Block. Link didn't want Sushie to get it, but at the same time neglected the idea of Goombario powering up. Who did he hate more…? That was no contest. They took down a Spear Guy with some back up, went over a few branch bridges, and Link tossed Goombario into the swamp before he could hit the Super Block. He could be heard sobbing underwater as Sushie gained the power of a Super rank. He sputtered back to shore with Link laughing.

"I feel better now," he stated. Goombario grunted.

"Are you not mad at me anymore?" Sushie hoped. Link squinted at her. "Still very mad at you." Sushie sagged.

They headed northbound, and there was even_ more_ water.

"What kind of an island with a volcano has so much water?" Samus pondered.

"It's one of the many wonders of the world…" Sushie sighed.

"Another wonder is how Goombario is still alive!" Link remarked.

Goombario scowled. Kirby wanted to go down an east path, but Mario had better instincts than Kolorado _and_ Kirby. He sailed across to a big slab of land with another Spear Guy patrolling it. Mario and Sushie, Link and Bombette, Kirby and Bow, and Samus and Kooper took the guy, and three jungle Fuzzies, down.

"All right Mario! There's nothing here!" Kirby observed, raising his small hand for a smug high-five. Mario shook his head and parted some bushes, revealing a pipe hidden in them. He smirked to Kirby as he went down.

"**Dark!** **Dark**! Someone get Watt!" Goombario wailed. Mario sighed and swapped Sushie for Watt. He turned her on and found out they were in a cavern of some sort. Looking up, they discovered a crying baby Yoshi on top of a rock. Sushie and Mario quickly hopped up there to rescue him. He stopped crying when he saw Sushie.

"There was this flower than spun around and I thought it was way cool so I got on it. And then I spun around and around in the air and flying and then I ended up here!" the green Yoshi explained. "I didn't know how I got here. It was so dark…and scary…and I couldn't find a way out. Thanks for coming to get me out of here. I can see how to get out now, so I'm going straight home."

The Yoshi left them, bumping Mario in the process. He let go of Watt, tumbled over Goombario, and fell off the edge. Link tried to help Mario, but ended up stepping on Goombario who screamed and made Kooper have a heart attack and run face first into the pipe.

"Where's Watt?" Kirby echoed.

"I simply can't take anymore of the dark!" Bow cried.

"Maybe it's not so bad…"

"Don't try any moves Kirby!"

"Darn it!"

"I found her!"

"OW! That's ME you moron!"

"How could that hurt you Samus? You're in a suit…"

"Why is everyone commenting about my suit! I could obliterate all of you with the press of a button you know!…HEY! I hear your footsteps! Get back here!"

"WATT!"

"I'm…um, over here!"

"WHERE! I can't see-oomph! KOOPER!"

"I'm not Kooper!"

"Sorry Parakarry. Why are you on the ground?"

"I was searching for a letter! A postman's work is never done…"

"In the dark with everyone hunting down Watt? You're really stupid."

"I know mail-ital arts!"

"I'm shaking. Are you going to stamp me or SEND me away? I bet it's a package deal! Ba hah ha ha hee!"

"…shut up Link."

"I'll letter know! Ha!"

Finally, after 15 minutes of fighting, tripping, pain, crying, bad jokes, and darkness, Mario regained consciousness from his fall and grabbed Watt, who was floating by him the whole time. When Watt lit up the room, she showed everyone they were right by the pipe and could've gotten out.

"…wow."

"We are so stupid…"

"We never speak of this again."

"Agreed."

They awkwardly exited out of the pipe with Mario too flabbergasted to do anything. Kirby begged to go east, but Mario ignored him and went west down the water way. After cutting a bridge out of a stump, they found a light blue Yoshi kid bawling on the ground. Kirby didn't bother looking at the smirking Mario. He turned his attention to the young one.

"Wuh-wuh-Waaa! Sniff, sniff…We were playing hide and seek. I had to be "it" but I couldn't find anyone at all. I was wandering around, and then I got lost," he sobbed. He faced Sushie. "You were right Sushie. The jungle's really scary. Thanks for coming all the way out here to find me…I'll be a good boy from now on and listen to you…Mario, will you be "it" for hide and seek instead of me? I'm going home now!" He ran off, somehow getting home without a Cheep Cheep.

"Now we can go the way I said we could go…" Kirby huffed, ushering them all toward the waterway and back onto some shore. He literally pushed everybody down his path…and into a Spear Guy.

"Nice one Kirby…" Kooper whispered as he clutched his stomach.

"So impatient!"

They took down the guy with a cranky Kirby as Mario chopped down another tree. In the distance, they could see a statue like one they saw in the village. Samus heard something rustle and instantly aimed her gun in the direction of the sound. In the same second, a jungle Fuzzy was twitching on a tree, apparently hit with something. Everyone glared at her but she defended with the fact she couldn't resist. Link rolled his eyes and told Sushie to paddle south, to another piece of land.

"You guys are heavy!" she wheezed.

"It must be all the Shrooms…"

"Well lay off!"

"Is that snoring?"

Everyone quit bickering and listened. There was a soft snoring in the breeze. Kirby looked up in a tree and found the purple Yoshi he noticed earlier. He smacked the trunk with the end of his hammer a few times and the child plummeted out of the tree.

"Ugh…morning."

Everyone:?

"Hey, it's Mario! What's the matter with you? You were looking for me? Oh? Sushie too? We were playing hide and seek and I got really sleepy. I figured I'd take a nap here. There's nothing to wory about. The jungle's not so bad. I am starting to get a little bit lonely though, so maybe I ought to head back home. Bye now!" The Yoshi disappeared. Bombette started to play with the red and black flower and Link gently tugged on her braid.

"What? I'm having fun!" she protested.

"We might be helping out, but we're still wasting time! I can't have you lollygagging either!"

"you…are impossible!" Bombette grumbled as if she had her arms folded.

Sushie called for them to come on as Mario knocked another tree down. The log led to where they began. Link kicked some dirt and cursed. They retraced their steps back to the northern part, swam to the east side, and went down the east path. A cry of help rang out.

"Yeeeeeekkkkk! Somebody help me!"

Everyone shrieked at he sight. A Yoshi kid was stuck between two Putrid Piranha. They were snapping at the crying child.

"YAHHHH! I'm so scared!"

"That's just plain cruel…" Link grunted as the Piranhas lunged at the group. Mario bonked the first with his hammer and Sushie used her squirt move. They both took a snap at Mario.

"Mario _might_ be a battle hog, but don't bite him!" Link scoffed while performing a sword slash. The first plant was defeated. Bombette waddled over to the second and detonated. Another 5 was taken, but it was still alive. It appeared in front of Link and breathed out in his face. Link stumbled at the poisonous gas. The plant seemed to chuckle. Kirby made a face at that as he swung his hammer into the side of the piranha's head. That drained the last little bit of HP it had. Bow congratulated Kirby and he attempted to make a muscle.

"They just don't make these things any easier…" Kirby sighed while standing in a heroic pose. Bow faced palmed while everyone else groaned. The yellow Yoshi finally got it together.

"Wuh-waaa! Are they all gone? I thought those things were going to eat me right up! Thanks for saving me Mario! I'll do whatever Sushie tells me to do from now on. I don't even want to do bad things anymore. I just wanna be a good boy. I'm going home now. Bye!"

Once the Yoshi scurried off, Samus moaned. "Only one more to hunt down. Then we can get back to business."

"But we've checked everywhere!" Kooper cried.

"There's gotta be some place!" Parakarry retorted.

Eventually, they ended up on a dock they've been on before, but this time they could pick up some faint crying.

"The Yoshi!"

Everyone looked in the bushes in the area. Goombario's bush was actually an M bush again. He wailed, but no one helped him. Finally, Bow found the child behind a flamboyant green one. He was bawling away, but quit after he saw Bow's face. Sushie quickly hopped over.

"Aii! That was so scary! We were playing hide and seek and there was this weird plant and it trapped me here!" the small red Yoshi blubbered. "Sushie was right…we should've just stayed inside the village to play hide and seek. We should've obeyed her. Thanks for coming to get me. I'm going home now…"

Sushie was touched. "They learned their lesson!"

"Great. Now that this story has a happy ending, let's get back on track," Link urged.

"About time! I can't take anymore of this murky water! Ew…" Bow complained.

Kirby tried to dry her off, but was smacked away. He frowned while Samus pulled him back toward the village.

Kolorado was standing in front of the tree with the ravens. Link and Kooper were surprised to see him still alive, but shook it off.

"Where'd the chief go?" Watt asked.

"I think he's in the other part of the village…" Bombette replied. Mario and the crew found him in the center island next to the same statue they noticed in the jungle. They all dashed over to tell him they were done.

"I just want to get this over with!" Samus groaned.

"I just want to save my best friend!" Link snarled.

"I just want a snack! Seriously! When was the last time we ate?" Kirby whined.

"Mario, I must thank you. You have saved the children of our village. I feel that no expression of our gratitude could be enough. You truly are a hero. We appreciate your valor. At least, I can do this…You still wish to go to Mt. Lavalava don't you?"

"Yes your lord! YES!" Link let out.

"I have remembered a good way to reach the volcano. Please come this way."

The chief waddled to the statue and began to fidget with something. "Huh? I thought it was…somewhere around here…Oh yes. I found it. Here it is. Take it, please…"

Mario took the object from his hands and stared at it.

"Whoa…a Jade Raven…" Link gasped.

"It's beautiful!" Bow gaped.

"Just like you!" Kirby tried. Bow rolled her eyes, even though Kirby knew that's what she did when she blushed.

_"Score!"_ Kirby added mentally.

"What…is it? What does it do?" Samus asked.

"Whenever events beyond our control occur on this island, we ask the help of Raphael the Raven, the island's master. If anyone can help you reach the volcano, it's Raphael the Raven. He lives in the depths of this island. If you place that Jade Raven in the statue of Raphael, the way into the depths of the jungle will appear…" Chief explained. "I haven't been to see Raphael since I was a young Yoshi. I remember it was incredibly difficult to find him because the jungle's trees and shrubs covered the way. I'm sure you'll find the path. May all your wishes come true."

"Wait just one minute!" Sushie paused. "Why in the world would you want to go to Mt. Lavalava? I'm sorry, but I can't keep my mouth shut when I hear someone talking crazy."

Samus, Kirby, Bow, Bombette, Kooper, Parakarry, Watt, _and_ Mario had to hold Link back from turning Sushie into…sushi.

"We already told you stupid fish! You sent Sonic up there, and that's where he is going to be burned to death!" Link roared.

"It's VERY hot and VERY dangerous in that volcano! If you aren't extremely careful and extremely lucky, you'll be roasted to a golden brown!"

"THEN WHY WOULD YOU SEND SONIC UP THERE! ?"

"LINK! Good God!"

"I think I have some soap somewhere..."

"But you don't care! You guys are going up there anyway! I do NOT approve of this!"

"I don't approve of you sending Sonic to his doom either!"

"I'm sorry I sent him up there, but the volcano didn't get active until he entered! I don't want anyone else taking chances unless it's necessary!"

Mario then gently explained that they were also trying to save a few girls from Bowser. Sushie suddenly became touched, and caved in. Link screamed at that, caring about saving the kidnapped but not about his about-to-die best friend? Samus and Mario gripped him tighter while Kirby smacked him across the face. He sighed, and glared at Sushie.

"Then there's no time to waste!" Link concluded, raising his sword to the sun. "We need to get to the volcano as soon as possible!"

"I'm with ya there Link!" Kirby agreed.

"I just want to get off this island! Too much green!" complained Samus.

Mario agreed and everyone put their hands in the middle. Sonic would be saved. No matter what the cost.


	38. Giant Jungle Penguin in the MegaTree

**_Another _early update? Um, yeah...summer is long. I keep awaiting Friday when it's only Tuesday. I'm probably craving this story as much as you are! :/**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 37: Giant Jungle Penguin in the Mega-Tree

They maneuvered through the jungle yet again, and reached the place with Raphael's statue. Mario carefully put the Jade Raven into the slot, and the concrete bird began to shake. It then slowly started to crawl to the left. Everyone's eyes marveled as a path was revealed.

"Let go meet Big Bird himself," grunted Link, offering the way to everybody else. He made a face when Sushie walked by. Samus complained that this part of the jungle was even greener than the rest of the island. She took out her rage on a patrolling Spear Guy.

"If you keep doing that Samus it's literally going to cost you an arm and a leg!" Link snapped.

"Nice try. It's unattachable. But good pun though!" Samus retorted smugly.

"Where's the rest of the path?" interrupted Kirby.

"Chief did say it would be blocked by trees and shrubs…" Sushie pondered. Mario remembered and pushed through a thick patch of bush. Behind it was another road. He guided his team down the new path into another lush area with a bunch of blue boxes and holes. One hole was squirting out water. Everyone went mad trying to get it to stop spurting out other holes, so Link just impatiently stuck his sword in the hole. Suddenly, a rock in the background started to rumble. The fountain pushed the boulder into the air and tossed it out of the way.

"…Willielf? You're not going to crack some fountain joke or make a rocky comment?" Goombario gaped, trying his luck with a nickname.

"Not when someone's in trouble…" Link muttered under his breath, storming off into the place where the rock revealed. Goombario kept gawking.

O.O

The next area was filled with trees with vines dangling down. Goombario pulled on the first one, causing a Jungle Fuzzy to attack him. Mario yanked the next one, dropping a Fire Flower.

"What is this? A luck game?" Kirby complained while swallowing a Jungle Fuzzy and sucking all its HP.

Even though Samus discovered the path by pulling the fourth vine, Link nabbed a Mushroom from the 5th tree. It make him brighten up a bit, but his mood was still pretty dark.

"GRAHAHOHOHO!" a raspy laugh echoed in the following area. Down the way were 3 Putrid Piranhas that snapped the moment the group arrived.

"Finally! A little action at least!" Link muttered. He looked again, and found a White Magi Koopa with them. Mario wanted to let other people have a chance to fight too, so he just hit the first Piranha with his hammer. Watt was summoned and used her electro dash. The three Piranhas nipped at Mario, while the Magikoopa healed the first Piranha. Mario mae a face. Link entered the action with his jab, dishing away half of the first's HP. Bombette followed up with Power Bomb, hurting all the enemies. The first plant finally died. The remaining attacked Link. Bombette winced when Link was poisoned.

"I wanna do some magic!" cried Kirby. He waddled over to the Magikoopa and swallowed him, becoming MagiKirby. Bow slapped the magician as hard as she could, but it wasn't enough to bring him down. Kirby countered the second piranha, then accidentally let the third bite him. Magi healed himself.

"Get the Magikoopa Samus!" Kirby instructed Samus while healing everyone a little three.

"With pleasure!" Samus smirked. She charged up her arm cannon, launching a hearty projectile at the Magic Koopa. It drained 7 and Kooper took off the last 4 with his Power Shell.

"Finally!"

The last two Piranhas failed at trying to bite Samus, Mario jumped the second enemy to death, followed by Watt blinding the third to history.

"Joy. Now we can get down the path they were blocking!" Samus weakly cheered while blowing steam off her cannon. "I love this thing!" She half skipped down the road, only to be stopped by a huge tree. Everyone else was there with her. It towered over nearly everything!

"I really hope we don't have to climb that…" Kirby sweat dropped.

"Considering there's a door…probably," Bow snorted.

"You've got to be kidding! I don't a have a trunk that big!" Kirby joked, getting no audience. "Sigh…I miss Link's jokes…"

"I don't," input Goombario.

"Maybe our entertainment should branch out!" Bombette chuckled. This managed to get Link to at least smile, yet all the twice awful jokes and puns didn't completely get rid of his depression.

"Link, you need to _leaf_ this glumness behind!" Samus shouted.

"Please! We're getting to the root of you're problems!" Kirby begged.

"You're all bark and no bite!" dared Sushie.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree…" Goombario trailed.

"What does that have to do with anything?" snapped link.

"It had the word tree in it!"

Link groaned and climbed up the conveniently placed wood log steps. Everyone's face fell. They climbed after Link…and climbed…and spiraled…and stepped…and tripped…and got dizzy…and fell…and started to crawl from the incredible flight of stairs that laid before them. Link waited irritably at the top, unharmed, while everyone else wheezed up the steps. Samus managed to beat the rest, but was only a fourth exhausted.

"I knew…gah…we had to climb!" Kirby gasped.

"Dah…" huffed Goombario.

"…" was what came from Kooper.

"Um…Kooper had another reaction…"

"No really? I didn't notice him unconscious on the floor!"

Link growled at the arguing and ushered everyone into the doorway. They all complained at his pushiness, though it changed to solid disappointment when they saw they were outside and another spiral walkway was before them.

"NO! WHY?????" wailed Kirby.

"This is the last tree I'll ever climb!" Link promised while trudging up.

After being incredibly annoyed beyond that word (because they climbed all the way to the top just for a _badge_), they backtracked and went into the obvious doorway that went back into the tree. Samus groaned that everyone was out of shape and Kirby made a smart remark about how not everyone had alien blood running through them. Samus raised her hands in defeat. Finally, all the climbing was finished. The next thing they knew, Raphael's branch was under their feet.

"Thank the Lord!" gaped Kirby.

He took one look at Raphael and flinched. "Good gravy! It's a Giant Jungle Penguin!"

"Don't be as dumb as Kolorado, please!" Link scoffed.

"He may be a little off sometimes, but he's still the best darn explorer I've ever known!" Kooper defended.

"Dude, he's your next-door-neighbor. I think he's the only explorer you've ever known."

Kooper scowled. Mario told everyone to hush so he could get Raphael's attention.

"Oh! Welcome!" he began. The small crowd stopped holding their breath. "Sorry I'm so surprised, but I can't even remember the last time someone came up here. It's sure been a while. I'm the master of this island. Call sign: Raphael the Raven!"

"Hm…a Raven…" Kirby pondered.

"You must be kidding, dear!" Bow guffawed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself!"

"If you have any problems at all, just let me know, OK? Go ahead, out with it!"

Everyone took a step back. Mario explained who he was and what they all were up to.

"You can't find a way to reach the volcano, is that it? Yeah, that's a problem…"

"-and a bigger problem is that our friend is inside and he's going to be killed by a monster in there!" Link added frenziedly.

"…not for me, though. I'll help. To be honest with you, I knew you'd ask me something like that. I got a message from the stars, so I knew you were coming. I've got something exceptional to give you that ought to help on your way…But that's for later!"

"You are kidding, right?" Samus mumbled.

"Right now, let's take care of that volcano problem ok?" Then, Raphael turned a crimson red and shouted out a long battle cry of "CAW! CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!!!!!" Several weak people collapsed from the sudden outburst while Link, Mario, and Samus held their ears. Once he was done, a few smaller ravens flew to his side, most likely from the tree in the main part of the village.

"Excellent response time Ravens. We've got work to do. I'll brief you only once, so I want your full attention!" Raphael then rambled on about everything, putting some emphasis on the part about Sonic with Link's supervision.

"…and it must be done as quickly as possible! Got it? I should hope so!" he finished. "Let's move Ravens! Follow me!" All the Ravens followed Raphael out of the tree with a few big thuds. Link immediately got a buzz and drew his sword.

"Come on! We'd better not get too far behind them!" he said, already charging forward with Bombette in his bag while taking a giant leap off the side.

"LINK!" Kirby cried, with everyone weak from climbing or weak from the scare. Samus seemed to stay a good distance behind followed by Mario and Parakarry. Bow followed Kirby with Watt at her side. Sushie, Goombario, and Kooper brought up the end and were _running back down the tree_. It was a race to see who could actually get down the tree alive rather than see who could beat Link, knowing his urge to save Sonic was too great.

"I need my inhaler…my pills…my aspirin…my mom…" wheezed Kooper.

"Deal with it!" grunted Goombario.

Suddenly, they all realized something and smacked their heads.

"We could've just jump down like everyone else, right?" Goombario asked.

"But I'm afraid of heights!" Kooper wailed.

"Too bad! Everyone jumped already!" Sushie growled, feeling completely stupid. She shoved both boys down with her toppling behind. They all screamed and landed on Goombario. Link was telling Raphael to go ahead and he turned red again with his loud grunting. Kirby passed out…into Bow's arms. She sighed and propped him up. Raphael continued his rampage. A root then shot out of the ground which made a secret path they could enter through. Link stormed behind him with everyone in the same order.

"I can't stand all this!" gasped Kooper, sucking on his inhaler with gusto.

"Run Kooper! A life depends on it!" Goombario urged.

"I thought you hated Link…"

"I do! But I'm not going to let my hatred for him cause someone to lose their life!"

"…that's deep man."

"I know."

They finally caught up with them and picked up the end with a bobbing Sushie just in front of them. The new path led to a part behind the tree. Raphael and the Ravens ran next to a different tree with Link frantically telling him to carry on.

"Aye, aye. All right. Is everyone ready?" Raphael asked.

"YES!" cried Link.

"Now Ravens! Get to work!" The Ravens flew into the tree as the ground slightly shook. "This won't take long…" Then, Kolorado appeared on the scene.

"Hmm!? What in blazes…" he guffawed. A raven came back down and spoke to Raphael in Ravenese. They had built a strange contraption that was half trap, half tree house, and part path.

"Roger that! You can reach the volcano now," stated Raphael.

"Thank you!" Link blared.

"Ooh! Top notch, really! It would appear we can reach the volcano now, dear boy!" Kolorado gasped.

"He just said that genius…" muttered Kirby, glancing at Kooper. Kooper shook his head.

"What luck, eh, Mario? I shan't delay another moment! The ancient treasures are calling me! Onward!" He hopped in the basket and headed into the tree.

"That Koopa! What a maverick! Charging in that volcano…he's bold, I'll give him that! Bold and certifiably nuts!" Link ended up cackling at that.

"Told you Kooper! CHARGE!" roared Link, jumping into the basket. Bombette, Kirby, and Bow followed. Everyone else had to wait for the second ride.

"He's not nuts!" Kooper shouted to the sky. Raphael handed Mario an Ultra Stone. Goombario gasped.

"ON MY GOD! There's my chance!!!" he wailed.

"I think you need to be Super Rank first…" Samus snickered.

"NO! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!" Goombario growled.

Mario smiled smugly. He jumped in the pulley thing as Raphael finished explaining. Kirby was telling Link to please wait, and when Mario showed him the Ultra Stone, he flipped.

"Awesome! Now Bombette can be even more powerful!" he exclaimed.

"Psh! Bombette?" Kirby remarked. "It'll be my Bow!"

"Over my dead body!" shouted Goombario.

"That can be arranged!" Link snarled.

"Calm down! The more Super Blocks we find, the more times we can change it to an Ultra Block and level up more partners!" Samus ended.

"Fine. We need to head to the volcano anyway," Link mumbled. He darted across the branch, grabbed onto a pulley with Bombette yelping in his bag, and landed at the entry to the volcano. Everyone else followed momentarily.

"We're coming Sonic. Please hang in there!" Link thought as he entered the heat death trap.

* * *

**Hooray! The volcano! Best part of Chapter 5!!!! Which includes the absolute greatest chapter ever written! IMO. XD But THAT'S 3 chaps away...drat. Aw well. Tell me what cha thought!**

**P.S. Happy 18th anniversary ot Sonic! Yay. Ha, I'm telling him that in the MARIO archive. Irony!**


	39. The Adventure Heats Up

Paper Mario X

Chapter 38: The Adventure Heats Up

The way was misty with water trickling down. It was odd, but wouldn't last forever. Link was a few paces ahead of everyone, with Samus once again at his tail. As they reached the bottom, a stupid Piranha Plant got in the way.

"IDENTIFIED AS MARIO! ALERT! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!" It blared. "**TIME TO GET RID OF HEDGEHOG THREAT NOW!" **After shouting for some weird reason, it sank into the ground before Samus could launch a missile. Link was even more rattled.

"Sonic isn't dead yet! We still have a chance! COME ON!" he chattered, already darting ahead.

"HEY! Some little people are still weak from the tree climb!" Kirby yelped, but still ran after Link nevertheless. He didn't have to run far; Kolorado was watching the lava with a worried look. Link paused and turned to Kooper with an eyebrow raised. Kooper muttered something nasty.

"I sense danger here..." Kolorado pondered.

"No, really? What was your first clue? The volcano, the lava, or the floating rocks we have to cross?" Samus remarked sarcastically.

"All adventures are dangerous though, so what of it? We must press on toward the glory of an unknown treasure!" He took a few steps back, jumped, landed awkwardly, and yelped. The rock then started to sink, causing Kolorado to flip out. He sweated and ran back and forth until he burned his Koopa tail and sprung into the air. Link couldn't help but laugh while Kooper slapped his forehead.

"He must be a pretty hot role model for you-"

"YOU TOLD A JOKE!"

"I don t see how I can't at this point! Kolorado's on fire!"

"Good ol Link..."

Kolorado rocketed back to the ground with his goose cooked , according to Link. Kooper stuck out his tongue.

"YAAAAH!" wailed Kolorado. "What's wrong with this rock? It sank right into the lava!"

"Seriously Kooper, not the sharpest tool in the shed, nor the brightest crayon in the box, or maybe the ripest grape in the bunch-"

"SHUT UP!!!!"

Link snickered. He leaped semi-gracefully from rock to rock, not sinking in the least. At the other side was a floating rock that took them all even farther. Even bulked up Samus could make it across. Kirby grabbed Bow and floated across, forgetting the fact she could float herself. Mario hopped after everyone in his stubby little way. He waiting for the floating rock to return for him, and ran into a Lava Bubble. Sushie immediately reacted with her squirt, already draining more than half. Mario finished off the original one with a hammer smash, and then took the blow from the second. Link joyously swung his sword at the remaining one, defeating it.

"Hey! I leveled up!" Link gasped.

"So did we, Link..." Samus moaned. Mario accumulated a little more FP while Link stayed on the safe side and got more HP. Samus and Kirby also took HP. If this monster Piranha could get Sonic he didn t want to think about it. But at the same time, how could he use his stronger sword attacks and Bombette to use her more powerful explosions without running out so much? He sent an apology look to his companion, but she understood.

"C'mon! I see the next part from here!" she urged. She bounced across another set of floating rocks and landed on her back in front of a stone doorway. Link chuckled and placed her back on her feet.

"Hm, you sure seem to be in a bit of a peppy mood!" noticed Samus.

"Hey. I m not completely feeling better. Just because Sonic is still okay somewhere, doesn't mean he s not going to get hurt anytime soon. I m just sick of everyone trying to cheer me up." Link muttered. "Besides, Sonic would probably want me to stay positive. Nothing good comes from negativity."

"That's the spirit!" cheered Kirby, whapping him on the back. Samus nodded, and followed behind Bombette. Mario trotted behind her, wondering how Link got to be the leader. He was even more shocked when Link disappeared in the next room. Looking forward, they were zipping down another rope with a Flying Kirby and Bow right behind. Samus called out, "My turn!" and grabbed the next grip available. Mario, Sushie, Kooper, Watt, and Goombario all accidentally fell, and after a quick two battles jumped on a spring and followed the rest.

"Great. When does fire turn around at a dangerous pace?" Kirby complained. Mario hummed to himself while expertly jumping over them. At the other side was a Super Block.

"AHHH! I WILL GET IT THIS TIME!" Goombario screamed. He ran at it, but Samus slid in front of him with her cannon ready. Goombario instantly reeled back into Link's waiting hand, which propelled him into the distance.

"NO!!! ONE OF THESE DAYS!!!!" he wailed while flying.

Link tisked as he turned to Mario. "Okay, now that he's out of the way, who is going to ultra rank?"

"BOW!" cried Kirby.

"Um Link?" Bombette asked softly.

"Yes Bombette, I know you want it, but it's up to Mario-"

"I do want it, but I've been thinking about it and I've decided we should give it to Sushie..."

She flinched the moment she was done, afraid Link would kick her or something because she mentioned Sushie. Instead, Link broke into a smile.

"Aw, Bombette. Inside that hard shell of a bomb is a big heart," he sighed. Bombette's kindness would beat his fury any day.

"Hey, why do you want to give it to me? I m flattered, but..." Sushie trailed.

"That's how I got my reason! I knew you had water attacks, and I figured it would help us when we fight fire monsters so-"

"By Gum Bombette! That's genius!" Kirby guffawed.

"Kirby! Stop talking like that wanna-be explorer"! Bow snapped.

"Sorry my lady! His interesting spot of an accent gives me a little twinge, eh?"

"Seriously. Stop."

"Fine. No need to get your worries in a widget!"

Link turned to Mario. "Mario? Do you approve?" Mario nodded. Sushie cheerfully became the first member to join Ultra Rank, and everyone but a scorched Goombario clapped. Then, Link insisted on giving Bombette a standing ovation, besides that all she did was make a suggestion.

"Bombette..." he whispered. "The last few day days have been a bit difficult, but now that we re so close, I feel like I can relax now, thanks to you."

"I just do what I do!"

"And that's what I love about you!"

Kirby couldn't stand the emotion and sobbed into one of Bow's bows. "It's so beautiful! Sniff... Why can't Bow love me?

GASP.

Bow twitched. "That was unexpected..."

"Whoa!? Oh snap-that was a thought. You didn t hear that!" Kirby insisted, instantly blushing and closing his eyes to prevent anymore trouble. Bow laughed nervously and Kirby was on the verge of passing out. Luckily, Link tore Kirby from his moment and took off behind Mario and Samus in retracing their steps back to the place where Mario fell. If he wasn t such an expert adventurer, he would have overlooked the stairs that were behind the spring. Samus tagged along because everyone was getting too mushy. Link noticed that and grabbed Kirby again so they wouldn t get too left behind.

------

"Hey! That's a snazzy looking block!" Kirby pointed out. A metallic red block was sitting in the way of another cavern. Mario ignored that and jumped on another zip line. Samus immediately called next turn and whooshed down. Link and Bombette went down next, and bringing up the rear was Kirby, Bow, and everyone else.

"This never gets old!" Bow cried, the wind whipping at her bows. The flew into the next cavern, down a path, and into a room flowing with lava. Mario had already blocked off a lava flow with three blue blocks, and now Parakarry was giving everyone rides across what managed to leak.

"You guys!" Kirby huffed. "Wait!"

"They're not very patient..." scoffed Bow.

"Oh well. I'm with you at least!" Kirby rushed, grabbing her quickly and floating across. Bow didn't have time to respond.

In the next room, everyone was up against a Lava Bubble, but they took care of it easily. Kirby and Bow floated across the half bridge Mario made. When they caught up though, they were up against two Lavas and a Red Magikoopa. Mario instantly went for the Magikoopa and Power Jumped it. Sushie tried out her new Tidal Wave move to see how it worked and it wiped all the enemies out.

"That was awesome! I m so glad I thought of it!" Bombette stated proudly.

"Hey I see a big chest over there!" Kirby pointed out.

"Must have something pretty valuable!" Samus agreed.

Mario wasted no time in getting over there. Everyone was over anxious, and Mario lifted the lid and revealed the ULTRA HAMMER!!! Dah dum dah! Kirby grabbed Mario s old Super Hammer before he tossed it away. Kirby then got rid of Goombario s grandpa s hammer, and Goombario winced as it burned in the lava. Link, Kirby, and Samus threw themselves into the chest to see what lied in store for them. Kirby got the Ultra Cutter, and could perform Mega Slice, Link obtained the Master Sword, and could do Last Lash, and Samus screamed when she pulled out an Ultra Cannon.

"Oh no..." whined Goombario.

"Yeah!" was Samus reaction when she managed to swap her normal canon for the sleek, metallic one. She had an urge to test it out, but everyone said-no, SHOUTED- no. Now, everyone had an Ultra Upgrade!

_Mario:  
HP: 25  
FP: 10  
Moves:  
Hammer-6 pwr  
Jump-4_

_Link:  
HP: 25  
FP: 20  
Moves:  
Slash- 6 pwr  
Hack- 6 FP, 8 pwr  
Jab-8 FP, 10 pwr  
Last Lash- 12 FP, 15 pwr (if done correctly)_

_Kirby:  
HP: 20  
FP: 20  
Moves:  
Hammer- 5 or 6 pwr  
Cutter- 6 FP, 7 pwr  
Swallow- 4 FP  
Mega Slice- 12 FP, 10 pwr all enemies_

_Samus:  
HP: 30  
FP: 15  
Moves:  
Power Punch- 6 pwr  
Missile- 6 FP, 8 pwr  
Screw Attack- 8 FP 8 pwr  
Full Canon- 10 FP, 8 pwr to all enemies_

"Wow. Why is all our new stuff so FP expensive?" Samus wondered.

"Doesn't matter. I m so going to stock up on some FP so I can do those moves!" Kirby cheered. "I hardly have enough to do my best move!"

"Okay, let's get back on track!" Link urged.

"Woo! Look out; here comes my Ultra Cannon!" Samus taunted, pointing it at nowhere. Still, the crowd took cover. You could never trust Samus with a canon. Mario used his Ultra Hammer to bash the metal block and lead everyone out of the room, then went back, and did the same to the one they saw earlier.

"We're almost there..." whispered Link to no one.


	40. The Great Kolorado Strikes Again!

**Nice. i'm only 1 review off from 100. Why couldn't one last person review? Sigh...aw well, I'm not too upset. That's awesome! Without futher adu, I give you Chapter 39!**

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Paper Mario X

Chapter 39: The Great Kolorado Strikes Again

"Wow. Why is all our new stuff so FP expensive?" Samus wondered.

"Doesn't matter. I'm so going to stock up on some FP so I can do those moves!" Kirby cheered. "I barely have enough to do my best move!"

"Okay, let's get back on track!" Link urged.

"Woo! Look out; here comes my Ultra Cannon!" Samus taunted, pointing it at nowhere. Still, the crowd took cover. Mario used his Ultra Hammer to bash the metal block and lead everyone out of the room, then went back a few areas, and did the same to the block they saw earlier in the archway.

"We're almost there…" whispered Link to no one.

"Wait!" Samus had called out before Mario had even made it back that far. She pointed downward to some steps with another metal block. "We should check that out!" Mario shrugged and bashed the block like it was scissors to paper. In the room was a chest and a Piranha Plant, but Samus beat everyone to it with her new cannon.

"Try this on for size!" she chuckled, launching a platinum torpedo from her Arm Canon. It soared right into the plant, not even giving it a second thought. The plant passed out at that moment. Samus just blew the remaining smoke that as coming out of the hole. "Too easy!"

"That's why we don't let you get the first strike…" Link grunted.

"You're just jealous of my power!" Samus smirked.

"AW!" whined Kirby. "It's a stupid badge!" he threw it angrily and hit Goombario in the head.

"I got what I wanted…" grinned Samus.

"Yeah, I'm good now too!" added Link, smiling at the unconscious Goombario. Parakarry and Kirby flew everyone across the little river of lava and went back to the room with the Metal Block in the way. They climbed up the steep cave hall, and entered a secret cavern on the bottom level. On a slab of rock they couldn't reach was another Super Block. Bow wanted so bad to get up there and take it, but it was impossible.

"Grr…there's got to be some way…" Bow growled under her breath.

"We can figure it out later, let's head back up!" Kirby whispered back.

Bow nodded and followed the team to a red spring that sent them to another spring, which made them land back where that Metal Block was. Samus landed stylishly and started to laugh.

"You know Link?" Samus wondered when Link landed next to her.

"What?"

"I've never had this much fun since…I don't even think I have!"

"That's why we travel, sister!"

They gave each other a knuckle touch while Kirby rolled his eyes. They all turned and jumped in surprise when they realized Kolorado was pacing frustratedly next to them.

_"That guy is creepy…"_ thought Link.

Mario finally arrived. He had to get Goombario out of a hole. Of course, when a fellow explorer appeared, Kolorado had to have a spot of a chat.

"My finely honed intuition tells me that great discoveries lie just beyond here…" he explained. "But there's this mysterious block in the way! Curses! What to do…"

Link only shook his head. "Why Kooper-"

"Not in front of him!" Kooper snapped.

Mario sighed and broke the block with his new hammer.

"Yes! Excellent! Now Mario! No time to hang about! Onward to glory!" Kolorado shouted while jumping up and down. Everyone raised an eyebrow except Kooper, who was becoming really ashamed. Mario headed into the next room and Samus was just about to jump on the zip line in front of her, but Kolorado ran in a minute after everyone else.

"Hm? It smells like treasure! Treasure, old boy! Make way--I'm going ahead!" a frantic Kolorado yelped.

"Are you on sugar?" Samus wondered.

"Uh, Kolorado?" Kooper asked weakly. The fool ignored him and just randomly jumped off the edge. He stayed in mid-air for a moment, then began to freak out. Link nearly had a heart attack from his laughter as Kooper took his suggestions into consideration. Kolorado defied the laws of physics by trying to walk back over to the ledge, but fell nevertheless.

"GWAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!" he shouted on the way down. Link nearly bust a gut along with Samus and Kirby...and probably the entire group. Mario looked over the edge to watch him fall. There was a crash afterward, and Kooper ordered for a moment of silence in case he died. That was ruined by muffled laughter.

"Whatever! I can't avoid the zip line any longer!" Samus grunted. She grabbed a hold and pushed off. "WHOOO!!!" Once she was safe on the other side, Link went across, not noticing he was right above the Super Block. So Kirby was sly and dropped at the perfect moment above the ledge and made Bow an Ultra Rank. Bow thanked Kirby with another embrace; he blushed and winked at her. Above, they saw Goombario and Kooper awkwardly flying across the gap. They both snickered.

"Kirby…you're too nice…" Bow sighed.

"I know!" he answered.

As they went to return, they found Kolorado struggling to get back up. "Er…don't mind me, Kirby. Just investigating this floor a bit more closely. You go on ahead. Oh, my aching…"

"Ha! Wait until I tell Link about this!" Kirby hooted. Kirby and Bow found everyone waiting impatiently on the other side. Link gaped when he saw Bow was Ultra Ranked.

"You're kidding!" Goombario sobbed. "I'm a loser!"

"How did you-Grr! Don't worry Bombette. The next one we find will be yours for sure!" Link promised while trying to keep his sword away from Kirby. Kirby then snorted.

"Yeah, we found Kolorado! He's not dead, Kooper. He said he was investigating the floor a bit more closely!"

"What a dork!" exclaimed Link. "He's a tough one, eh, Kooper?"

"If it makes you happy, I'm taking your "getting a new hero" thing into consideration, okay?" Kooper asked.

"Better do it soon!" piped Samus.

She headed into the following area, with everyone on her heels. The moment they were all in, a Spike Thwomp thing fell form the ceiling, and they were trapped in the volcanic hall.

"AUGH!" gaped Goombario.

"Sweet! It's like an Indiana Jones moment! ACTION!" chuckled Kooper.

"RUN!" wailed Kirby. There was no need for that. Everyone's legs were already moving. Kooper slunk into his shell and sped in front of everyone to gain speed. Link and Samus naturally took up the lead with Goombario taking up the end with the Thwomp nearly crushing them. It managed the take Goombario in its spiky clutches.

"C'mon Mario!" Kirby yelped as he joined Link and Samus in safety. Mario made a daring leap, followed by the rest of the left over partners, and landed on his face.

"Where's Goombario?" Sushie wondered.

He crawled out of the cavern with a track on his head. "I'm fine!"

Link lifted his sword forward. "Look, I can tell we're almost there. We just need to navigate this very complicated room!"

It was complicated. Between a moving rock, spinning fires, a Lava Bubble or three, it took nearly everything out of the weaker people. Worse, they all had to keep jumping over a rotating fire while waiting for another rock to take them across. The moment they reached solid ground they made a break for it.

"Well…that wasn't _too_ bad…" Bombette decided.

"Yeah! We didn't get burned!" Link laughed.

"Joy. Link's back to his bad joke self…" Samus chortled.

"Uh, you're just jealous of my awesome cracks!"

"What? Those cracks in your skull!?!"

"…you win this round!"

The room they were in was a bit strange. It had a Spike Top and two Piranha Plants, but there was a ledge with a Thwomp being blocked by a few Metal Blocks. Everyone became uneasy at the sight. They managed to cross a rock bridge without it attacking, but then…he showed up.

"Mario! Wai…Wait a moment!" Kolorado called.

"Oh no…" groaned Samus.

"He better not do anything stupid again!" Link hissed to Kooper.

"Huff huff huff…according to the information I've gathered…the hidden treasure should be right around here. But I need to go a little farther."

"So…you're going to make us do the work?" Kirby grunted. Kolorado tried to hide a look.

Mario shrugged and winked to Link. He pushed a blue block that just so happened to be next to them over to the first step. He climbed it, bashed a block, climbed, bashed a block, and repeated until he reached the Thwomp. Link, Samus and Kirby held their breath and got out of the way. The Thwomp roared to life and toppled down the steps. Mario jumped out of the way before it could hit him. The other three finally let out their laughter at the sight of Kolorado in the way of the rolling threat. He waved his arms and screamed. It bulldozed him right over with a screech, and blasted through the wall. Link was still hooting.

"Oh, that Kolorado…maybe he should be a comedian." Link sighed while wiping away his tears. Kooper glanced over to Kolorado who was shaking on the ground with a tear of his own.

"Barely nicked me…old boy…oh, my poor shell…ow…" Kolorado assured. Link slapped his knee when he saw the look on Kooper's face. Before they even got far in the long volcanic hallway, Kolorado sped in front of them. Everyone groaned regardless if Kolorado could hear them or not. He probably didn't.

"Close! So very close! My treasure-hunting senses are going simply mad right now!" he freaked.

"Do you have any common senses?" Samus asked, but it was too quiet for Kolorado to hear.

"My intuition tells me…it's over here!" He trotted through another archway confidently with everyone frantically telling him to stay put. When he ignored them all, the crowd shared one big sigh.

"Kooper-"

"No! I don't care if he's run over, jumps off a cliff, or mistakes a whale for a tuna! Not until he does something completely, and utterly stupid, he will always be my hero!" Kooper finalized. "There will be no more word on it!"

Link shrugged and ran in after Kolorado. He hit a ? block and claimed a Super Shroom and some Maple Syrup. Everyone tagged after him, and they found a disappointed Kolorado staring at the trap that crushed him. Link warmed up his laugh box.

"Oh…huh? There seems to be nothing…alas, even my finely honed intuition can be wrong on occasion."

"You seriously are pulling some kind of joke on us! I know it!"

"I shall not give up. Let's head back the other way. Perhaps the treasure is a bit deeper in the volcano," Kolorado suggested. Kooper gave him a pat on the back while Link snorted. Mario turned around, went back to the pervious room, and walked down some stone steps behind them. On their way to what secrets the way held, a Piranha popped up again.

"MARIO STILL APPROACHING! IDENTIFIED AS SEARCHING FOR STAR SPIRIT AND HEDGEHOG PAL! CODE RED! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT! TIME TO FRY!" It screamed. Link's happy mood disappeared instantly.

"Quick! They're going to kill Sonic now!" Link yelped.

"They must have him captive in there and are waiting for us so we can watch the horror!" cried Kirby. "All we did was speed up his last moments of life!"

"Way to put it darkly Kirby!"

"Well if you think about it, it IS true!"

They all looked at each other with fear before racing against time.

* * *

**And next time, we have the greatest-and favorite- chapter ever written! IMO. But even if it isn't, it's pretty darn good. It's got everything! Best of all, Sonic arrives! *throws confetti* I almost can't wait! *^***


	41. The Hottest Boss: He Gets Burned

**God it's early...but I couldn't sleep! What's wrong with me?**

**Yeah! 100, 100, 100! Woo! What better way to celebrate that with my favorite chapter? Nothing! Thanks to all my faithful reviews and readers, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you! ;)**

**AAAAAANNNDD the moment you've all been waiting for...**

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Paper Mario X

Chapter 40: The Hottest Boss: He Gets Burned

_"MARIO STILL APPROACHING! IDENTIFIED AS SEARCHING FOR STAR SPIRIT AND HEDGEHOG PAL! CODE RED! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT! TIME TO FRY!" It screamed. Link's happy mood disappeared instantly._

_"Quick! They're going to kill Sonic now!" Link yelped._

_"They must have him captive in there and are waiting for us so we can watch the horror!" cried Kirby. "All we did was speed up his last moments of life!"_

_They all looked at each other with fear before racing against time._

_*^*_

Link was, of course, ahead of everyone else and reached a place with a small pool of lava in the center of some rock.

"LINK!" a familiar voice called. Link's head snapped up, and there was Sonic, battered, bruised, and weak, swinging perfectly above the lava. He tried to break the vine, but then suddenly fell limp from all his pain. Sonic's usually bright green eyes were dull with extreme fear and almost lost hope. Very rare for Sonic.

"Don't worry! We're all coming to save you!" Link shouted to him, though another part of him wanted so much to ask how in this world that happened.

"HURRY!" was the reply. "I…can't break free myself!"

Samus and Kirby raced in and gaped when they saw Sonic dangling.

"SONIC!" they cried at the same time.

"How are we going to save him?" Kooper input.

Before anyone could answer, the ground vibrated, and out of the little Lava Pool rose the Great Lava Piranha. Link scowled and prepared his sword like he was going to do a jab. Lava Piranha stretched and twisted, like he prepared for this moment. The look on his face was enough to make Link and Samus combine anger and missiles for a mega attack. But that would hurt_ everyone_.

"BLECK HYUCK HYUCK YUCK! YOU MADE IT, MARIO!" Lava cackled. "TOO BAD YOUR FRIEND WON'T…"

"_YOU LET HIM GO_!" growled Link furiously. Everyone took a step back. Sonic jolted uncomfortably in the vine that encased him while watching the scene unfold. Lava shook his head and turned back to Mario.

"YOU GUYS…BAD GUYS! BAD GUYS COME TO STEAL STAR SPIRIT! BAD GUYS WHO COME TO STEAL STAR SPIRIT GET HURT! WE DON'T LET IT HAPPEN! NO!"

"You're still not going to get away with this!" Sonic grunted. "Catching me in a sneak attack just shows how low you are!"

"SHUT UP FOOL! IT WAS MY…."

Link ignored his unimportant info to gawk at Sonic. His blueness was slightly darker and covered in scrapes, bruises, and dark spots. Link didn't want to guess he was beaten like a piñata so he couldn't escape. The hedgehog was scowling darkly at his captor.

"WE TRAP STAR SPIRIT AND FRIEND! WE GET VOLCANO! GOOD DEAL!"

"-but bad idea!" Samus coughed, pointing her Ultra Canon at the fiend.

"WE MAKE THINGS HOT FOR YOU! WE BEAT YOU MARIO!" Lava chortled, and entered battle. "BUT, BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET'S HAVE OUR BUDDY DROP IN!"

The vine around Sonic suddenly let go, and Sonic began to plummet toward his flaming death.

"HELP ME!!!" he screamed. Link, Samus, Kirby, Bow, Bombette, Mario, Kooper, Sushie, Parakarry, and even Goombario suddenly lunged forward to try and catch Sonic, but they ended up in a heap and Lava caught him in his mouth. Sonic cried out with pain, and Lava began to furiously shake his head around. Just before he let go to fling Sonic into distant lava, Link reacted fast and tossed Bombette into its head, causing him to release Sonic. Link sprung up and Sonic landed in his arms. The fall totally put Sonic in a state of shock, but he managed to slightly open his eyes.

"Urgh…that nearly burned me! In two ways!" chuckled Sonic.

"How can you be chuckling when you just had a close shave with death?" Samus guffawed.

"Heh…I'm just glad you are okay. We'll talk later! Right now we have a jerk to beat!" Link exclaimed.

"Anyone have a weed hacker? A big one?" asked Kirby.

"Sonic! How much HP do you have?" Samus wondered.

"ooh…only 6 out of 25...ow."

"Then you'd better sit out…" Link set him behind everyone else. He moaned when he was sat down, but then adjusted so he could at least watch. Bombette trotted next to Link, also a bit out of breath.

"Did I do okay? I made him even angrier…" she stuttered, glancing at the growling plant. Link embraced her harder than ever before.

"Bombette…I couldn't have asked for anything more than my best friend to be safe…and you the one that saved him…thank you."

Bombette beamed as Link set her down. He turned violently to Lava who pretended to be touched by the moment. All the rage shot up into Link's sword and he accidentally did Last Lash out of anger. He performed it successfully, and Lava's HP shot down to a whopping 19. Everyone gasped, even Sonic. Link landed professionally and pointed the end of his sword at Lava.

"You won't win!" he stated.

"AH! HA HA! YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET!" retorted Lava. He recoiled back, then lashed forward. Link put up his shield to defend Bombette and himself, but was surprised when Lava aimed the attack at vulnerable Sonic. Sonic's HP went down to 1 and he suddenly was in peril.

"YUCK YUCK! GET THE BLUE ONE, MY BUDS!" ordered Lava. They both snickered before one launched a fire projectile at Sonic, and no one could react fast enough to save him.

"Ugh…that was a good shot…" Sonic murmured before slipping into unconsciousness.

His mouth dropped open with the pain, and he fell on his stomach. Link cried out when the Game Over music played from nowhere. Everyone was silent except the boss, who was snickering. Bombette sniffled, but then she suddenly hopped up and down.

"Link! Your Jelly Ultra!" she nearly shouted. Link stopped his sorrow in his tracks and whipped out his green jelly-covered Shroom. It looked sooooo tasty…Link mentally told himself it was to save his friend, and tossed the object to Kirby. Kirby told himself the same thing as he shoved in into Sonic's mouth. There was a bright flash, and Sonic stood up as if he had never gotten a Game Over in the first place. In fact, his blue fur had returned to its natural sheen.

"Whoa! That tasted awesome! It was like a thousand flavors on my tongue! Way past cool!" Sonic gaped while giving a thumbs up. "Thanks!"

"It WAS a great sacrifice…" mumbled Kirby who received an elbow jab from Link.

"Care to take down this creep?" Link winked.

"You'd better believe it!" answered Sonic, giving a peace sign. "Bring it on!"

_Sonic:_  
_HP: 25  
FP: 15  
Moves:  
Homing Attack/Spin Dash- 6 pwr  
Whirlwind- 4 FP, 7 pwr  
Sonic Wind- 6 FP 9 pwr_

Special Ability: The fastest! Can do a lot of things if it involves speed!

Sonic needed a partner, and Mario gladly handed over Sushie. Sonic shot a brief dark look at her while she shuddered. It was Bow's turn to go, and she smacked a nice 6 out of Lava. Everyone planned on ignoring the buds because they would grow back anyway, and Lava need to go down as soon as possible. Lava grunted, but then a smirk slid across his face. He was going to attack Kirby, but changed his course and aimed for Bow. Kirby saw this at the last moment and pushed Bow out of the way. Everything went slow as Bow was forced to the side, the fire attack hit Kirby, and he collapsed on the ground.

"WOW. YOU GUYS DEFEND OTHERS WAY TOO MUCH. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BEING SELFISH?" Lava wondered while his buds attacked Kirby.

"We aren't devils like you are!" Link remarked.

"Besides, I'm hotter and cooler than you!" Sonic mocked while striking a pose. He ducked though when Samus went wild and used her Fear Laser, draining 8 and weakening Lava's attack down to three instead of five. His HP was also down to five. Sonic hid a grin. Lava attempted to blast Samus after Kooper missed his target. She only took one HP though. The buds didn't do much either.

"Heh, it's about time!" called Sonic as he rolled up into a bright blue ball and launched himself at Lava, bashing out the last of his life. Lava started to shake and wave around crazily. He began to sink into his lava with a defeated face. Just before Mario gained his Star Points (which strangely wasn't even equivalent to what a boss should give), everything began to quake again. Lava shot out of the magma with a burning tongue and his buds had a collar of fire.

"Whoa! They're really fired up!" Link pointed out.

"We can see they're smug because they came back to life, Link," Samus grunted.

"That wasn't a joke, actually…"

Lava laughed at his newer and stronger power. Yet it was Sushie's turn, and sucked up Sonic's FP to use Tidal Wave. Once she was done, an annoying voice with a hint of an accent rang out. Everyone did not sigh or groan. They all (except Kooper and Sonic)** screamed**.

"Oh not NOW!" Link pleaded.

"Mario! You shan't fight alone! Kolorado to the rescue! HIII-YAHHHH!" Kolorado shouted while running straight into Lava. Link couldn't help but laugh as hard as he could as Kolorado blasted into the air from the heat. "Ow ow HOT!!! Oh, it burns! Really!

"More like Kolorado _needs_ the rescue!" Samus snorted, trying to make herself heard.

"Hey, who's that nerd in the dorky hat?" asked Sonic.

"Just some amateur adventurer who Kooper just adores!" Kirby mumbled.

"I said I would take ditching him into consideration!" Kooper retorted.

"Not fast enough apparently…" Sonic stated when Kolorado landed on his burning butt with tears flying.

Kolorado ran up to Mario. "So sorry, old chap, but that's all I can do at the moment! Good luck with all this!" he wailed. He scrambled away.

"You didn't even leave a dent!" Bombette shouted back.

"What a loser!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Tell us about it," replied Link.

Lava sent a heat wave toward Sonic, but he dodged it with a quick side-step. It finally came back around to Mario, and he used his Power Jump. Watt followed that with her elctro dash. The Tidal Wave move suddenly caught up with Lava, and he and his buds weren't able to attack for 3 turns.

"WHAT!? WHY CAN'T I MOVE?!" he wailed.

"We just washed away your moves!" Link snickered. He recieved raised eyebrows. "What? That's the best I could do on short notice!" Everyone cheered and went on a montage with Sword Slash, Bomb, a Kirby letting him and Bow get skipped due to injuries, Shell, and a failed Power Punch. Lave returned to normal state and glared at Sonic.

"YOU BAD GUYS CHEAT! LAVA MAKE YOU PAY!" the plant growled. Sonic pulled out two dollars.

"How much do we have to pay?"

His answer was a nearly burned scalp. "Okay, okay...cheap..." He transformed into a ball and spun into the boss one last time. Sushie finished him off with a meager sqiurt, and Lava roared out in agony. Lava and his buds turned perfectly straight, then collapsed in a similar way to how Sonic did.

"Wow! Never knew that one move made all the difference!" Sushie chuckled.

"Listen Fish! You owe me big for sending me in here to **die**!" Sonic accused with a pointed finger.

"I heard you hate water…"

"SO!?!? I mean, uh..."

"I'm able to take you across it without you actually getting it!…"

"…fine. But I'm watching you! Your lucky I can't hold a grudge!"

Sonic folded his arms and Sushie sighed, now with all her life threats off the line. Link, Samus, and Kirby all pounded Sonic on the back, with Mario feeling a bit left out. Slowly, Lava slid unwillingly into his pool. Sonic could've sworn he heard something come out from Lava's mouth.

"If I can't kill you, the lava will…"

He shuddered.

Kolorado ran back at the scene a bit too late. "Well! That's that then! Now there's nothing between us and that treasure now eh? Let's go!" he urged. He turned around and headed into what seemed to be the last cavern.

"He's even more impatient than I am!" Sonic noted.

Before even _Sonic_ could run after Kolorado, a little white orb emerged out of the lava. With an exploding flash, it turned into a card.

"Is that the Star Spirit?" Sonic asked. Link sighed and walked over. He placed his arm over his shoulder while tossing a book with every last thing and detail about the adventure from Goombario hatred to how partners work and every place they've been into his hands.

"This ought to get you caught up!" Link chuckled.

"I can't read this!"

"You'd better! It has everything you need to know!"

"fine!"

Sonic sped read through the pages with his hands furiously turning each page. Apparently he could read as fast as he could run. Once he turned the 1,567th page, he slammed the book shut.

"Okay, I'm all filled in. For partners though, I want Kooper."

"Yay!" cheered Kooper.

Sonic held up his finger. "Wait. I want Kooper for battles. On the field, I want Sushie though. I'm not forgiving her very easily."

Sushie's face fell. Kooper shrugged and said he was cool with that.

"I expected that…" Sushie sweat dropped. "You're going to treat me like a slave..."

"Nope, even worse..."

Sushie felt more life threats were on the way.

"The only thing though is how when you, Kirby, Samus , and I were invited to Peach's Castle and went to a party that Bowser ruined. Bowser wiped our memory and scattered us. Now, a few Star Spirits later, we found you!" Link explained, giving Sonic his lost memory back. His eyes twitched when it hit him.

"Whoa…Wow, I've missed a lot!"

"And we still have plenty to catch up on!" Kirby added.

Sonic turned to see Samus with her new canon, stroking it gently.

"Hey Sam! Aren't you going to join the reunion?" he smirked.

"I hate when you call me that, Nic…" she grunted while punching him a little too hard on the shoulder.

"I know! I hate the name Nic too…" remarked Sonic while rubbing his sore spot.

Mario slammed his hammer down on the ground, making everyone give him their attention. He touched the card that floated in front of him, and summoned Misstar back to life. Everyone clapped, but the celebrating didn't last long. The ground pounded, one pound at a time. Rocks began to crumble under the force and heat of the lava. That wasn't a good sign. Mario jumped out of the way of a fiery fate with partners snuggling close to their owners. Link placed Bombette into his bag, Kirby snatched Bow's hand immediately, Parakarry floated bit closer to Samus but got pushed away, and Kooper and Sonic braced for impact. Sushie tried to huddle in, but was rejected.

"Mario! This way! We must hurry!" Misstar called. She floated to the area where Kolorado went as everyone finally realized the volcano was erupting. They yelped and sprinted after the two. Sonic was already 15 feet ahead, but slowed so the rest could at least catch up. Misstar met up with them with Kolorado looking stupidly and cluelessly around for his treasure.

"The treasure doesn't seem to be anywhere around here…Gad, where could it be?" he pondered, completely unaware of the impending doom. Everyone dragged Kooper up the steps as they decided to simply leave him. Misstar was waiting above. Kolorado followed shortly with his treasure-brained mind.

"Ah ha! Treasure! …er, no, it's…some sort of star fish…???" he mumbled embarrassed.

"What the-" began Link. He was silenced with a glower form Kooper. Misstar didn't seem happy about the observation either. Kolorado looked over the edge of the cliff they were on and hopped down to the previous stair to pace.

"Hmm…This won't do. The adventure's never over until the treasure is found!" he muttered. He suddenly got a "brilliant" thought. "Ah! Yes, of course! Perhaps that horrible fiery monster had it and was hiding it somewhere! Yes, that's it! I'll just run back and check."

"HOW STUPID ARE YOU!?" Samus howled.

"That bimbo doesn't even realize the volcano's going to flip its lid and he's worrying over a freakin' treasure!?!?" Link guffawed.

"I think I'm ready to get a new role model now…" Kooper stated.

"'bout time kid," huffed Sonic.

Before Kolorado could move, he finally noticed all the shaking.

"hm? HM!? What's this trembling then?" he said. Everyone finally thought he got his mind back together until… "…probably nothing. Kids with fireworks, no doubt. Now, after that treasure! " Goombario passed out, Kooper banged his head against a wall repeatedly, and everyone was going into an uproar.

"I've only known you for about 10 minutes, and I already think you are more of an empty shell than Eggman!" screeched Sonic.

Kooper cried. "My life's been nothing but a lie!"

"I'm telling you! His life is all one big prank on us! I'd wish he'd end his stupidity now! THE JOKE'S OVER!" Samus groaned.

Kolorado went to go back down.

"No! Wait!" Misstar warned.

A few moments later…

"YARGH! HOT!!! So hot!!!" Kolorado shouted. Everyone looked over the edge and gasped. The lava had already covered a few stairs and was seeping for Kolorado next. "thuh…That's lava isn't it?"

"NO DIP SHERLOCK!"

"It's coming nearer! We must flee!"

"How can one guy be so…UGH!"

Kolorado then stopped and changed his mind. "N-no! The treasure is still here! I just know it!" Head were smacked with full force. Kooper went into a fetal position.

"Mario…This volcano is going to erupt anytime now. It's far to dangerous to go back the way you came. We have to escape another way!" Misstar explained. Seriously, why with all the obviousness? Kolorado eagerly jumped next to the group while Misstar looked around. She pointed out a cracked wall and wondered if it could be blown up. Link stepped forward and pulled out Bombette.

"Blast it, Bombette!"

"Destination: Detonation!" her fuse lit up the room as she exploded. "Ahhhh….AHHHHH!"

The wall crumbled before Bombette's mighty might, and Sonic nodded, impressed. She winked and hopped back into Link's sack, with him giving her a pat on the back. Kolorado threw his hands in the air and ran through screaming. Misstar followed suit with the rest in tow. In the next cavern, lava was practically flowing by the ocean. Kirby gripped Bow's hand even tighter when they nearly missed a splash of lava coming for them. He wanted to swallow Sonic so he could gain his ability just to run out of there, but Sonic was already too far ahead.

"C'mon Bow! We can make it!" he assured.

"I know…" Bow replied, now being dragged by Kirby.

They ran up a stair bridge to a part where Kolorado was trying to reach the treasure on a pillar that was a tad too high for him too reach. You could read the desire on his face.

"AH! I knew it! At last! The treasure is right there!" Kolorado sighed. Misstar rolled her eyes in the corner. He continued to frenziedly hop to try to snag the prize. "So close…can't resist…By the Stars, I'll risk my own life for that treasure!"

"Okay, he's officially lost it…" whistled Sonic.

"WHY KOLORADO?!?! Where did the sanity go?!" wailed Kooper. Kolorado was too focused on the treasure to even pay attention to anything else. Misstar suddenly became frustrated and scooped up Kolorado. He twitched in her arm with Mario in her other arm. Parakarry and Watt flew upward after them, Sonic grabbed Link, Bombette, and Samus and ran up the side while Kirby and Bow floated alongside them with the rest in his stomach.

"Oh man…if you guys weren't my sort of friends, I'd totally spit you out right now!" Kirby slurred.

"I hope that's a compliment!" Goombario hissed inside. The lava suddenly rose at a breakneck pace as everyone hurried up the top. A few screamed and others grabbed each other for dear life.

"My treasure! NOOOOOO!" sobbed Kolorado.

Misstar would've smacked him for being so ungrateful for her saving his life. Mario did manage to pinch him though. Kolorado twitched again. Sonic panted with the extra weight he was carrying up the side of a wall! Even it was a bit hard for him to do that, let alone with a few passengers!

"Oh, why did I grab the Tall Elf and the Suited Woman?" he groaned to himself.

"Because Kirby couldn't swallow us, rude little-" Samus tried to say, but was cut off by Link's hand.

_"If I can't kill you, the lava will…"_ the words buzzed in Sonic's head. He scowled.

Kirby let go of Bow's hand suddenly as he started to slow down.

"Go on Bow, just in case I don't-"

"KIRBY! You listen to me! We've been through too much suffering to give up now! Everything is fine, and YOU'RE GOING TO LIVE! Do it for me, PLEASE!" she shouted. Kirby suddenly became all macho as he gripped Bow's hand again and surpassed Parakarry, Watt, and Misstar. Sonic was no doubt still in front, but was still shocked by Kirby's new speed.

"I can't believe he loves her that much…" Link whispered to Samus, but Sonic could hear too.

"Yeah, that part in the book caught my attention…" Sonic trailed.

"HEY! I wasn't talking to you, eavesdropper!"

"Dude, I'm right here-"

Sonic suddenly jerked forward before finishing his sentence. Everyone flew out of the volcano just before it exploded. Sonic jumped awkwardly out of the way of a flying rock, followed by another. Misstar just kept rocketing up, Kirby spat out everyone and made them run, Sonic still carried Samus and Link, only because he would have to stop running down the volcano if he did. Kolorado's treasure flew out too. It soared over many trees, and landed in one pretty familiar spot, just inside Jade Jungle. What would Kolorado do if he knew THAT was there…

* * *

**And there you have it. Man, I've read this so many times I could tell you what happens with every last detail. Sonic is here! Yay!!! You're all probably wondering about Sonic's partner(s)...I can't exactly tell you everything, but when we hit a certain chapter I'll tell you more. **


	42. Game ShowOffs!

Paper Mario X

Chapter 41: Game Show-offs!

Amy continued to cry into her pillow. It had been going on for two days _straight_. Zelda and Peach did everything to cheer her up, but only the news of Sonic being okay would do the trick. Peach got tired of it all and asked Twink how he felt about sneaking out again.

"Princess Peach! You've gotten so bold! And here I thought you were gentle and delicate…" Twink exclaimed.

"Tell me about it! I was the one who inspired her!" Zelda called from across the room.

Oh! I…I am delicate! I'm behaving like a delicate princess, just like the ministers taught me to!" Peach stated.

"Are you?" smirked Zelda, now joining in the conversation.

"I -love-to-be-de-li-cate!" Peach finished like a robot. Zelda took a step back.

"Okay, okay…I believe you, Peach. You're the Princess…" Twink trailed.

"Hey, I'm one too! And I say Peach is finally coming out of that fluffy pink shell of hers!" Zelda grunted with her arms folded.

"well I-"

"I AM DELICATE!"

Zelda just gave a whatever look, removed the drawing from the wall, and slammed her hand on the button. Peach collected herself and walked **delicately** into the secret passage. Zelda rolled her eyes. Amy made a noise, and Zelda slightly smiled, knowing she had meant to laugh.

* * *

Sneaking out of Bowser's room, the two girls made their way to the first floor, which was still unlocked. This time, they went over to the left side's door. That was a mistake. A Koopatrol was standing inside and turned around when he heard the door shut. Twink zipped behind a flower pot.

"Oh! It's Princess Peach…and Zelda! How'd they get out?!" the Koopatrol yelped. "King Bowser's really going to flip his wig if we don't take her back to her room!" Zelda stood in a fighting stance until the Hammer Bro. ran over.

"Now, hang on just a second. Get a grip on yourself, OK? No need to panic. She can't get out of the castle anyway…" explained the Hammer Bro. Peach and Zelda relaxed. "And besides…What do you think about asking Princess Peach to participate in our little game? She'd be ideal, and we need a third person…"

"Hmm…yeah…YEAH! You might be onto something!" his pal agreed.

"Why only her?" Zelda humphed.

"Oh, would you like to be in the quiz?!" snapped the Koopatrol.

"OH…a quiz? It's a good test for my wisdom-"

"I WAS SARCASTIC! We only need one person!"

Zelda pounded her fist into the nearest wall, leaving a dent in it. The Koopatrol hid behind the Hammer Bro.

"Princess Peach, have you been listening? Come this way," ordered Hammer.

Peach "**delicately**" walked over. Zelda would have snorted.

"We won't tell King Bowser about your escape if you help us with this little game we're playing."

"We're set up right over here…" the two led her over to said spot. Zelda angrily followed. Twink floated out of his hiding spot.

"Oh no! Princess Peach!" Twink cried.

He floated cautiously behind only to find Peach in a booth along with two Koopatrols on either side of her. Zelda couldn't take it so she grabbed and tossed one away. Peach raised an eyebrow, but no one objected to Zelda sitting in the Number 1 booth.

"Koopa Corps. Presents…" dramatically announced Hammer, the host. "The 64th Trivia Quiz-Off!"

"64th? What happened to the other 63?" Zelda wondered, making an invisible audience laugh.

"I'm your host, Mr. Hammer!" "-You're Kidding."

Peach turned her head around, completely surprised. Mr. Hammer walked over to a microphone that was semi-hidden in some flowers.

"Let's get right to it, hey? I'm going to ask 10 questions, and add a bonus one at the end. The contestant who gets the most right is our winner! Press your button when you think you know the answer, OK, folks? The winner will get a gorgeous, fabulous prize! Good luck to all of you!" began Mr. Hammer.

"This'll be a cakewalk! C'mon, Tri-force of Wisdom!" chuckled Zelda. Peach smirked.

"So? You don't know anything about the Mushroom Kingdom, and I highly doubt they'll ask any questions about a world they don't know even exists…" she retorted smugly.

Zelda gritted her teeth. As Mr. Hammer continued to explain every participant gets a prize for doing the show whether they win or not. She stopped grinding.

"Question 1! What's the name of the boss inside the volcano on Lavalava Island?"

Peach and Zelda pushed their buttons at exactly the same time.

"Go ahead…Princess…Zelda!"

"Well, the answer is Lava Piranha!" Zelda stated. She glanced at Peach and tapped her head.

"Lucky shot!"

Zelda shrugged while Mr. Hammer gave her a point.

"Question 2! Where did Master Huff n' Puff imprison the Star Spirit?"

Apparently, this quiz show was meant for the villains only, because they knew things Peach and Zelda didn't. Zelda, Peach, and Twink all exchanged glances. The Koopatrol hit his button.

"Okay, Spiky Tom!"

"In Flower Fields!" he cried.

"That's correct!"

Peach put her hand to her mouth and glanced at Zelda. Zelda did the same thing.

"Question 3! What is the name of the scary round monster living in Dry Dry Ruins?"

Peach pounded her fist on the button before giving Zelda a chance to think.

"All right, Princess Peach!"

"The Chomp, obviously!" she confirmed coolly. She shot a glance at Zelda who shrugged.

"That's Correct! One point for everyone so far! You've still got a chance to make a comeback! Question 4! How would you get to Flower Fields?"

Spiky Tom hit his button. Zelda and Peach strained to listen.

"Umm…by passing through the flower gate!"

"That's Correct! The two princesses fall a bit behind…It's still anyone's game though! Question 5! What's the name of the person who King Bowser really loves?"

Zelda let out a cackle as she slammed down her button.

"Go ahead Zelda!"

"Ha! Princess Peach!" she laughed while pointing at a reddened Peach.

"That's correct!"

"I TOLD you he did, Peach."

"Shut it, Zelda."

Spiky Tom slapped his knee. Peach glowered at him.

"Question 6! What thing is most deeply related to Flower Fields?"

Spiky Tom once again nabbed the Flower Fields question.

"Okay Spiky Tom!"

"I know! Flowers!"

"That's correct!"

"C'mon! That was totally a Freebie!" Zelda hissed while gripping the table.

"Three for Spiky Tom, two for Zelda, and only one for Peach. Only 4 questions left…and our bonus one! This next question is an easy one, folks!"

"THE LAST ONE WAS EASY!"

"Calm down Zelda!"

"Question 7! What's the name of the most admirable, invincible, just downright cool guy around?"

Zelda hit hers first.

"go ahead Zelda!"

"LINK!"

GASP.

"I'm sorry! That's Incorrect!"

He repeated the question, and Zelda hit it first again. This time, she said Sonic. Everyone flinched at the sound of the name, and Mr. Hammer said it was wrong once again. He stated the question once again, and Peach got it.

"All Right, Princess Peach!"

"Gack…King Bowser?" she replied while nearly gagging.

"That's correct!"

"ANOTHER CHEAP ONE!"

"Zelda!"

"Question 8! What's the name for the ghosts that live in or around Forever Forest?"

Zelda whacked her button. "BOO!"

"That's correct! Use your memory on this one! Question 9! What's the name of the area just south of the post office in Toad Town?"

"SNIP! I DON'T KNOW THAT!"

Spiky Tom did though.

"Ooh! The Flower Garden!"

"That's correct! Now for the final question! Stay calm everyone! So far, Tom has Four, Zelda has Three, and Peach has two. Don't worry…we still have our Bonus one! Question 10! Where is Peach's Castle now?"

There was a buzz.

"The question goes to…ZELDA!"

"On Bowser's Castle!"

"That's correct! …but you don't win because Spiky Tom also has four. Good thing we have that Bonus Question! Bonus Question! Is Sonic the Hedgehog with Mario as we speak?"

Zelda and Spiky Tom went into slow-mo as they raced to push their buttons. Peach gasped when she heard the question. By a fraction of a second, Zelda hit hers first.

"The answer…is YES!" she answered extremely hopeful.

"That. Is…CORRECT! The 64th Quiz-Off has ended- in great success! Our winner is…wow! Our guest that tossed out another just to be here, Princess Zelda!"

Zelda jumped out of her booth and danced around. Peach kept telling herself she was delicate as Zelda was handed a Jammin' Jelly.

"Thank you for coming, everyone! It's been grand! We'll see you at the next Trivia Quiz off! Spiky Tom snuck off, ashamed he was beaten by a girl, and Zelda and Peach folded their arms in front of Mr. Hammer. He remembered their consolation prize and gave Peach a Sneaky Parasol and Zelda a Hidey Mask, but for her Sheik form.

"If you face someone and use those things, you can become that person!" Mr. Hammer explained. "You just have to promise not to use those to sneak around! I mean, nobody would know if it was you! Imagine!"

"Yeah…what are the odds?" stated Zelda.

Bowser then came stomping in the door. Twink cringed. Zelda slightly hid behind Peach.

"Huh? What are you all doing?" he asked. "Hey! It looks fun! I'm gonna join in!"

He stomped over as Peach, Zelda, and Twink hid in-between the number 2 and 3 booths. Once Bowser was past them, they snuck away.

"What? You've already finished! Aw, of all the rotten luck…" Bowser pouted. He then turned around to see everyone leaving. "GAHH! Princess Peach! What's she doing here? She snuck out again! Grr…You! Take the girls back to their room! NOW!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Sorry Princesses!" Mr. Hammer apologized.

"I'm not," grumbled Tom. They hoisted both of them up and dragged them back to the room.

* * *

Once they landed safely back in their own room, Amy's head bobbed up.

"Oh Amy! The greatest news!" Peach squealed.

"Sonic is with Mario right now! He's okay!" Zelda added.

It was like someone turned on a tornado.

"WHAT! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! HE'S OKAY! OH YES! I KNEW IT! THAT'S MY SONIC!" she danced around everywhere, almost knocking things down. Peach and Zelda had to restrain her.

"Sorry. Overexcited. How did you find that out?" Amy gaped.

"A game show!" Peach chuckled.

"Don't worry! On our next adventure, we'll be sure to bring you!" Zelda promised.

"No worries there! I'll be glad to help now that this all involves Sonic!" She skipped over to the pot of Amy Roses and sniffed one. Peach and Zelda gave each other a high five. Amy was back to her old, bubbly, self.

* * *

**Kinda feels like tihs has ended since we got Sonic now huh? *at least, that's how I felt* Flower Fields is up next, and expect some Kirbow action! And more insaneness from the flowers...XD**

**On another note, I'll be out of town next week so the next chapter will be late Wendsday or early Thursday. Week after...I'm going to have to check, but I think I'll be back in time. :D Happy 4th!**


	43. Going Back to Kolorado

**Well, I'm leaving. Don't worry- I'll be back in time for the chapter next week! Yes! Ahem, here it is! See ya when I come back from my trip!**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 42: Going Back to Kolorado

In front of the volcano, everyone gasped for breath. Sonic was on the ground, wincing from his throbbing arms. Link checked to make sure Bombette was okay, Parakarry and Watt needed to take a breather along with Kirby, Bow's heart was beating a _bit_ too fast, and everyone who was stuck inside Kirby gagged.

"How much do you eat, pig!" Goombario complained.

"It smelled like a thousand people!" Kooper coughed.

"1,000? It's a new record!"

"Ugh…"

Misstar set Mario and Kolorado down. Kolorado had his head hung low.

"Oh, woe is me…my beautiful treasure…" he sighed. Link had an urge to cover his face with a bag because it was so depressingly scary. He settled it by turning away. Misstar didn't hold back though.

"Listen to you! No treasure in the world is more valuable than life! Be thankful you've escaped!" she snapped bitterly. Kolorado still sulked. Sonic could've sworn he was getting wrinkles. She softened up when she looked at Mario. "To think! This island was put in terrible peril because of the meddling of Bowser's men. I think it will work out OK. The eruption will sub-side, and Lavalava Island will be just the same as it used to be."

"I hope so! I love it here!" Samus sighed. "Who cares if it's too green? I've never had so much excitement!"

Kolorado turned away. "But…sigh…"

"Dear Mario, you have saved 5 of us Star Spirits now! Just a few more to go!" Misstar gasped. Sonic responded with a smirk and a peace sign to indicate there was only two more. Misstar told them her name, and gave Mario more Star Energy, along with a new Star Power, Smooch, which replenishes 20 HP. Misstar sadly stated she had to leave, and told Mario to call upon her at anytime.

"Oh…I was so close…the treasure…right there…" moaned Kolorado. "…and then to get saved and yelled at by some sort of blooming great starfish…" Everyone agreed a glum Kolorado was definitely worse that a stupid one. At least a stupid one was funny. He sighed again and sluggishly walked away. Kooper almost couldn't stand to see his childhood hero act this way. Sure, he was stupid. Yes, he was downright nuts. He knew he wasn't the best explorer. Yet he was still someone. Kooper also couldn't just crumple up his dream and toss it into the garbage. He couldn't make Mario his role model. Goombario already claimed that place. It was settled. He wasn't giving up on Kolorado.

"C'mon you guys!" Kooper urged.

Mario nodded and led the way. Actually, Kooper did. His koopa instincts were kicking in, and were letting it lead him to the place where they found Sushie. There, was the treasure. Kooper gaped at the sight, wondering how in the world it could have survived. Everyone hovered over his shoulder as he opened the chest. It shone a bright yellow when he pulled out the great…volcanic vase?

"He nearly committed suicide for_ a stupid vase_!?"

"He needs to go to a mental hospital…"

"Or a wacky shack…"

Kooper ignored all the comments as he felt the volcanic texture of the vase. It was also slightly warm. He knew it had some type of importance, despite the fact it was only a _vase_. He picked it up and told everyone they needed to find Kolorado.

"Why?" Link asked. "He's a loser!"

"So? We all helped you when you nearly lost something important to you!"

"Which was?"

"Your best friend."

Link glanced back at Sonic who had an eyebrow raised and then back at Kooper with the vase tight in his hands. Link mentally called that a cheap shot.

"Grr…fine."

Mario then ran over to the group. He explained he had talked to the Bulb-ulber and that the seed he had was given to Kolorado. Kooper shook the vase in front of Link and pointed for the way to leave. Link nodded and returned to the downtown village. There, Kolorado was sighing in front of the raven tree. Kooper eagerly ran over, but tripped over a Yoshi kid. The vase flew in the air and he screamed. Luckily, they had Sonic, who sprinted over, leapt in the air, and caught it before it hit the ground.

"Over-excited much?" he snicked, handing it over to the klutzy koopa.

"Heh heh...thanks."

"No problem!"

Once they made it to Kolorado _safely,_ Kooper happily handed the vase over, and Kolorado went mad.

"Mario! Good heavens! It's the treasure!"

"That you almost **died** for!"

"How on earth did you…well, I suppose that's of no consequence right now. You're giving it to me?"

"Of course. We- I mean- I didn't want you to be sad forever!" Kooper shrugged.

"You...you are giving it to me! Oh, glory! Marvelous! Dear man, you are quite simply the cat's meow! Cheers!"

Link collapsed from the hysterics. Sonic poked him with the toe of his shoe. Link was still clutching his stomach with a smile. Kolorado shook his head at Link, frowned for a moment, and then a light bulb went off in his empty head.

"Yes, hm! It's only proper that I give this to you as thanks…" he muttered to himself. He handed to seed to Mario and Mario nodded. Kolorado explained he had no interest in it at all.

"Now that I've got the treasure, I proclaim this adventure to be a success! What a stupendous expedition! It will be forever recorded in the history of archeology!"

"What? That you completely had a meltdown because you lived?" Sonic jeered. Everyone but Kooper snickered.

"Well, old boy, let's away. Back to Toad Town with us!" Kolorado hurried off to the whale.

"Yay! We get to ride the whale again!" cheered Bombette. Sonic's face went white.

"Did you say…whale…as in one in the…_water_?" he gulped.

"Yeah…it's the only way to get back!" Samus explained, something dark hiding in her voice. Sonic clung to a tree.

"NO! No way! There is no way possible you are making me step foot on that _whale_ of yours!"

Samus grinned evilly as she lifted her canon. Everyone gasped.

"Sonic…I recommend you move before you are blown to pieces!" Kirby warned. "With one missile, she can wipe out the unsuspecting!"

"She can fry my tail! I'm not going!" Sonic grunted. Samus rolled her eyes and everyone shielded their eyes. Sonic cried out, and when the smoke cleared, a little patch of blue had been removed from Sonic's head. He let go of the tree and darted for the whale. Samus chuckled and gave Kirby a high five.

* * *

Sonic was gripping on one of the whale's eyes, making him half-blind.

"If I'm going to ride this thing, I'm not letting go!" Sonic grunted.

"I'm not a thing! And you'd better make sure I can still see after this!" murmured Whale. Kolorado leaped on when everyone else was comfortable.

"What a heady adventure! Adieu, Lavalava Island!" Kolorado called. "Perchance someday I'll return to your shores!"

"Enough with the drama. Let's get this over with!" growled Sonic. Before they could head off, a weird "Wooooooo" noise came from the ocean. Everyone but Sonic and Sushie recognized that. He quickly flipped open his book and scanned.

"Hmm…annoying nasal voice…it's Jr. Troopa!"

"The first enemy I've ever met…and keeps coming back…" gritted Link. The little egg swam onto the shore. Sonic envied him.

"Wheeze, wheeze, wheeze…" he panted as the whale shoved off. "Yes! I…cough…did it! I swam…all the way!! All right Mario! Now I'm going to give you a beating you'll never…"

He realized they were already gone. He could see Sonic changing from the Whale's eye to Samus' leg.

"What! Wait! Where are you going?! Wait! Mario, wait up!" he yelped. "Come back here, you chicken!" He dove back into the water with a "SHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTT!" He swam after everybody.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the sea, everyone was telling Sonic to man up a little. Sonic ignored them all and was glued to Samus even tighter. He then noticed Jr. swimming after them and made a face.

"Great! Even that little jerk can swim!" he grumbled.

"What little jerk-" began Link until he saw Jr. following them. "Guys, prepare for a fight when we get back…" Everyone groaned.

* * *

Back at Toad Town, Sonic was the first off the whale, kissing the ground. Kolorado looked at him as if he was the crazy one. He then turned to Mario to get his mind off it. "Thank heavens we've arrived! Now tuna-ferrying is one experience I shan't do again."

"Tell me about it!" gasped Sonic, who was now standing up again. "Wait…did you just call that a tuna?"

"Long story man…"

"Cheers for the ride though! I'm in your debt. For now, I'm heading back to Koopa Village to relax. My wife must be waiting for me. Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future old boy! Cheerio!"

"Hopefully not…" thought Link.

Kolorado gave a wave and hurried off. Kooper waved back. "Good-bye! See you when I'm finished! Cheerio!" He pulled a tissue from his shell and blew it. The team groaned.

"You are such a drama queen Kooper…" Samus remarked.

"I'm sensitive…" was the defense.

"Must be the cat's meow!"

Suddenly, Jr. climbed back on shore. Sonic was even more jealous that Jr. could swim from an island and back and he couldn't even take a ride on a whale without screaming.

"Wheeze wheeze wheeze…I will…never…swim again…for the rest of…my life! Now Mario! You're mine this time! AYAH!"

Once they all entered battle, they realized Jr. had his HP drained to 20, which was half of what he had. "Gasp! Oh no! All that swimming! My HP is almost gone! Well, I'll make up for my lost HP by using my new skills! Check this out! MORE POWER!"

He twirled around and donned some wings and a spike, making attacks for a few people impossible.

"I know all of your fighting patterns now, Mario! See my gear? The spike, the wings…you can't attack me now! I'm the smartest fighter alive! I can't be defeated! WA HA HA!"

"Oh joy…" grunted Kirby.

"At least his HP is half down…" stated Sonic, trying to be positive.

"Okay here's the plan. Anyone who absolutely CANNOT attack has to step away from the battle! That way, there's no holding back!" ordered Samus. Sonic huffed and walked away angrily. Link sighed and he and Bombette followed suit. So did Goombario. Kooper was useless too. Sushie wasn't going to waste any FP. That left Mario, Watt, Samus, Parakarry, Kirby, and Bow. Jr. was amazed at all the people he'd gotten rid of. Maybe he could pull this off after all…his plan was rethought when Mario threw a hammer. Watt floated up to him and blinded his puny eyes. With two hits, he was already down to nine!

"What the- yow! I didn't think you'd do that! Is that illegal?" yapped Jr. He was still bamboozled when he kicked a wimpy three out of Mario. Samus cheered and pulled out her canon. One blow and Jr. rocketed down to two. Parakarry finished up with Shell Shot. Kirby and Bow hissed that they didn't get to fight. Link replied with how much that wasn't even worth it.

"Oh…you know what? Now that I think about it…I have wings. If I had just flown to the island, I wouldn't have wasted my HP. Then I probably would have beaten Mario in no time! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! Sigh…" Jr. rambled. Link chuckled at his stupidness. Mario shook his head and led toward the main area of Toad Town. On the way back, Link screeched when Goomama and Goombaria were in the next area. Goombario naturally waddled over, but Link grabbed him and ran off.

"HEY! I WANT TO TALK TO MY MA!" Goombario shouted.

"Um, I don't think so…" Link coughed.

He let go of Goombario (into some water) as he and Bombette used Sushie to get to a pipe. Down the pipe was a Super Block where Link upgraded Bombette to Ultra Rank.

"There you go! That's your reward for being such a good girl!" Link congratulated.

"Thank you Link!" she giggled. Sushie was so touched by the moment she didn't bother to stop Goombario who followed them in and was now kicking a wall angrily.

"Why does life have it out for me!?! What did I do to deserve this?!" he whined.

* * *

Back at the main part of Toad Town, Mario was giving the last seed to the Flower Toad. Remember, just because I didn't mention it, the gang did get the other seeds from Dry Dry Desert, Forever Forest, and some where around the Koopa Bro. Fortress. Link and a very happy Bombette returned to them just in time to see the way to Flower Fields appear.

"What do you know? Kolorado was actually helpful for once…" Link stated.

"KYAAAAAHHHHH! At first it looked like the flowers were just blooming, but suddenly a door appeared! It must be…you must be able to go to Flower Fields from here. Mario, Flower Fields needs your aid. Please help!" Flower Toad pleaded.

"That's…so not fair! Just when I get here, we get to go frolic in some flowers!" Sonic complained.

"Hey! We might be able to find my soul partner here!" Samus snapped. "I hate flowers as much as you do, but we still have a few worlds to save! Let's go, Mario!"

"I didn't know you felt so strong about that…" murmured Link.

"At least she still has a chance to find hers…" Sonic muttered. "Technically, Kooper isn't even mine!"

"What are you talking about? Don't you feel some kind of odd connection with him?" asked Kirby.

"yeah! You guys are perfect for each other!" Link added. Sonic shook his head.

"Nope, no connection at all…it's so weird! Sushie isn't either…I…don't know…whatever. It's not important! C'mon Mario!"

Mario nodded and pushed the door open as Kooper spotted Kolorado in the distance. Link said they'd help him later while shoving him through the door. Kooper managed to send a wave before he entered. Kolorado waved back, happy he was able to actually assist his fan. His only one at that.

* * *

**AAAAANNNND...Flower Fields. This chapter took the longest to write because I had to keep tweaking it so it didn't seem too boring. I think it came out okay though. And so many questions will be answered, and maybe even more will pop up! Mwahha!**


	44. A New Challenge Blooms

**Holy Crap! 5,000 Hits?!? This story rocks! XD But you already knew that. **

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 43: Another Challenge Blooms

Everyone gaped when they found out they exited out of a tree. What shocked them even more were Sonic's words.

"This is Hippie Land!"

As they took in the new sights, someone was already there to greet them.

"What ho…? Now who might that be?" They all jumped when they figured out it was the tree itself. "Ho ho ho ho! Up here, son!"

"Okay, when the tree starts talking, we're all going mad!" Kirby declared.

"They call me Wise Wisterwood. I am the oldest tree here in Flower Fields, the land of tree, flowers, grass, and plants. And you must be Mario. I've heard a lot about you son."

"Hey! What about me?" Sonic interrupted. "I'm just as good as that guy!"

"Quiet!" Sushie scoffed. "Disturbing old trees is rude!"

"Who died and made that rule?"

"You're trying to save the worlds and the rest of the Star Spirits aren't you? Very noble. If that is true, then your arrival means that a Star Spirit is here in our land. I would help you in you quest but alas…I cannot right now."

"Because you're a tree?" suggested Kooper.

"…no. Flower Fields is in trouble. A creature named Huff N. Puff and his followers invaded our fair land not long ago. These creatures brought clouds to our sunny sky. It has been dark and cloudy ever since. The sun doesn't even bother to rise in the sky anymore. We are all weak and fading…"

The gang then noticed all the flowers starting to wilt. It was a sad sight, even if the land was a tad girly…

"Oh! I remember something! The rumor is that Huff N. Puff is holding somebody captive…"

"Not me!"

"I'm fine!"

"Still here!"

"Not any more…"

"GUYS!"

Gasp.

"Mario…"

Mario glowered at everyone and mouths slammed shut instantly.

"Of course! It must be the Star Spirit you are searching for!"

Mario declared they would defeat Huff N. Puff, making everyone else gasp. Goombario and Kooper glanced at each other. Witherwood explained that would make Flower Fields wishes come true…but Huff was in Cloudy Climb in the sky. There was no way up there, unless they found a magic bean that would grow up to Cloudy Climb.

"I think there IS a flower that has a Magic Bean…somewhere. Umm…I believe…Her name is Petunia. Perhaps she is off to the east. It wouldn't hurt to go visit her and ask about it."

He finished by just suggesting they all talk to everyone. Mario agreed and headed off. He talked to the very first bulb-ulber they saw, causing some groans.

"Mario…I don't think he meant literally everyone…" Link said while rolling his eyes. Mario smiled sheepishly. He led his group to the east where a Crazee Dayzee was skipping around. It saw them and wanted to run away, but Samus leaped in front of everyone to fire a projectile. It hit the Dayzee square in the face and it flew into a tree. Samus smirked.

"_You need some rehab…"_

Samus prepared her cannon at the crowd. Everyone pointed to Goombario. Goombario nudged toward Link.

"I swear, it was Goombario…" Link said calmly with his hands raised.

"WHAT! Why would I take a chance like that?!" Goombario spat. Samus ignored his plea and let loose. While she chased Goombario around, Bombette took the time to stop and smell the flowers. She tripped over a rock and landed next to a tree with colorful leaves.

"Whoa…" she said in awe. She realized her head had hit the tree when she tripped and a Bzzap flew out instantly. She quickly hid herself in the flowers so she wouldn't be noticed. Kooper absentmindedly walked over, looking for Bombette.

"Hey Bombette! I think I found a flower you'd like!" he called. The bee heard his yell and buzzed over. Kooper didn't know until he got stung.

"WHAOW! I'm allergic to bees!!!" he yelped, dancing around. "Someone get the paramedics!"

He crashed into the tree with his arms flailing around, making another Bzzap fly out of the leaves. It soared into his head, giving him another infection.

"SOMEONE HELP! BEE ATTACK!"

Bombette jumped out of the flowers and pushed Kooper out of the way of another bee attack. "Can't you just hide in your shell?"

"Oh yeah…"

Kooper pulled all his limbs inside while Bombette stood her ground against the rest of the insects. They noticed their target and went to sting her, but couldn't penetrate her bomb body. She laughed, and then blew up, defeating them for good. Link ran over, now that his name had been cleared from making fun of Samus.

"Bombette, you okay?"

"Yeah, just saved Kooper from a stinging death…"

"HEY! I saw you hiding!"

"Nuh-uh! I was waiting for the right distraction so I could attack!"

Kooper folded his arms and winced at the throbbing pain in his head. Bombette took one look at Kooper and sighed.

* * *

Once Samus had properly taught Goombario a lesson, Mario guided them down the rest of the path. Kirby kept his eyes open for a flower or something Bow would die for, but none seemed pretty enough.

"Honestly, in a field of flowers, I can't find the perfect one?" he thought to himself. Bow noticed his thinking face and wondered what he was up to.

Down the rest of the path, they passed more Color Trees, and another Dayzee. Link had to restrain Samus from shooting at it. Sonic had to help push her to the next area.

"Did you land on your head when I was gone?" Sonic grunted while shoving with all his might.

"No, I was smacked into a wall by an obese Shy Guy!"

"Oh! I read about that…you were a toy…ha!"

Samus glared at Link over her shoulder while Link said Sonic needed to know _everything_. Before a quarrel could break out, Mario found an angry looking Petunia rustling her leaves. She was mostly yellow, with a bit of purple at the tips of her pedals. Mario approached her with caution.

"Do you have a second? Then listen to my sad tale!" she growled, trying not to take her fury out on Mario. "Ever since the sun went away, I've begun to droop…I have no energy at all. Without the sun, it just seems like the whole world is sad. Now these Monty Moles dig into the ground and bite my roots! Oh, woe is me…My beautiful seed collection will be a Monty Mole Banquet if this keeps up…"

"Are you saying we get to play Whack-a-Mole? Yay!" Kirby cheered, pulling out his hammer.

Petunia confirmed this by telling Mario she wanted him to get rid of the Moles. She pointed out four moles and a Dayzee, but then decided they didn't need to worry about that. Mario gathered his gang to discuss a plan.

"Okay, I speak Mario, so I'll explain. Mario says that since there a 5 enemies in all, and we have 5 main Captains, we can take them all down easily," Link translated from Mario's nods and points. "We need someone who wants to go hack out the Dayzee behind the tree…"

"I'll do it!" called Sonic.

"Phew! For a moment I thought I wasn't going to be able to whack a mole…" Kirby sighed.

"Go for it!"

Everyone spread out to take down all the enemies. Mario and Watt went to the one right next to Petunia. To their surprise, the Moles had called some back up. There were four instead of one.

"There goes my plan…" thought Mario. Goombario told them from a distance all the moles had 12 HP, only because he wanted to help. Mario nodded and began the battle with Star Storm. The moles plummeted down to seven. Watt floated over to the first one and took five away from it. Mario defended all four rocks that were thrown at him and didn't take a scratch. He made his next move by digging around in his items, where he found a Thunder Rage. It killed the first one, and sent the rest down to two. Watt took care of another one. The remaining two chucked some more rocks at Mario, but were once again brushed away. Mario jumped on one and Watt electrocuted another, giving them the win.

*^*

Link grunted at the sight of all the Moles.

"Mario didn't say anything about that!"

"We can do it Link! They're no match for us!"

Link smiled at Bombette's enthusiasm and tried out her new attack. It wiped away a great six and Link got rid of another one with a sword slash. The other three moles growled and aimed their rocks at Bombette. She flinched, but Link jumped in front of her and smacked all three back with his counter. Each counter took three away; leaving the moles with only three HP. Bombette used Power Bomb to get the deed done quickly. After she jumped up and down in victory, she turned to Link and winked.

"Knew we could do it!"

^*^

Kirby and Bow stood back to back. "Wait Bow. Before you do that, can I whack just one mole?"

"Of course!"

Kirby grinned and whacked his hammer onto the unsuspecting head of a mole. Bow then smirked and used her Spook on the moles. They all shrieked and ran off. Kirby patted Bow on the back.

"Um…since were in Flower Fields…I was curious…what's your favorite flower?"

"I'd say a rose…but I know you're trying to find me something, so look a little harder than that okay? You know how hard I am to please…"

She floated off to join with Link and Mario, leaving Kirby in a daze.

*^*

"NOT TODAY BOYS!!!" Samus shouted, her canon lighting up. With one blow, her missile soared through all four moles and draining 7. Parakarry wimply Shell Shot one, but it was enough to kill it. The other moles threw their pieces of earth at Samus, but all three only did one damage to her. She would have used another missile, but she was out of FP. Glaring at Parakarry, she punched one to death. Parakarry uneasily Sky Dived at another. This time, Samus smacked the rocks back at the moles, finally defeating whatever was left.

"I wanted to use my missile…" pouted Samus.

"Hey, maybe your real partner won't use up so much FP!" hissed Parakarry, a bit hurt she didn't appreciate his skills. He flew just out of the way of his wings being blasted off.

^*^

"C'MERE!" cried Sonic, chasing after the apparently fast Dayzee. Kooper and Sushie trotted uncomfortably behind. The Dayzee turned around to mock Sonic by sticking out her tongue. Sonic snarled and ran even faster. He had taken a good 15 HP out of it, with the help of Kooper, but now it was trying to run away. Sonic the Hedgehog wouldn't have it. When it stopped for a split second, Sonic sprang and homed in on it. He made contact and the flower girl fell to her doom. Sonic happily collected his Star Points. Kooper weakly gave a thumbs up before falling against the tree.

"Weakling! I, Sushie, could've probably kept up with Sonic!" the Cheep Cheep bragged.

"Hey! **I** get to battle while **you** flop around! That obviously means **I'm** more useful!" Kooper defended.

"Uh, guys?" Sonic started.

"Besdies, Sonic likes _me_ better!"

"Not with that attitude!"

"You have nothing to fall back on!"

"What does that mean?"

"_I_ didn't try to kill him!"

"You know I did no such thing! I had the care of the island and the village at stake!"

"There was the life of someone at stake!"

"Oh yeah? What would you have done?"

"Well, with me and my awesome Kolorado adventuring skills-"

"Please! You'd be dead of you use those "skills"!"

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

"Make me!"

Sonic smacked his head forcibly before leaving them to bicker.

"You guys figure that out..."

*^*

Once all the enemies were gone, they all gathered around Petunia. Everyone except Kirby, who was taking a red berry from the tree the Dayzee was hiding behind.

"Oh, yippee! Hooray! Hurrah! Yahoo! Whee! You got rid of the Monty Moles! Oh thank you, thank you!" To show you how grateful I am, I'll give you this Magic Bean! Here you are!"

She put a twitching green bean in Mario's hands. Mario could've sworn it was saying to plant it.

"Hmm? Yes, my name is Petunia. They call me the Seed Maniac. Hee hee! Nice to meet you! By the way, about that Magic Bean I gave you…You shouldn't plant it."

"Why shouldn't we?" chirped Watt.

"Why not? Because as a seed it will always enjoy freedom! After it's planted and it sprouts up, it won't ever be able to move again. Don't you think that's sad?" Petunia suddenly put on another angry face. "Please don't plant it with, oh, for instance, Fertile Soil and Miracle Water! I don't want to think about a sprout growing out of my cute little seed! NO!!!!!!"

Everyone flinched. Petunia sent them off. Once they were out of ear (of corn) shot of Petunia, Link decided they would plant the seed.

"Do you not like to listen?!? She said not to plant it, especially with Fertile Soil and Miracle Water!" cried Goombario.

"Which is why we _shouldn't_ go find those things, plant the seed, and go to Cloudy Climb?" Link stated in an obvious matter.

"You need to learn that when people say not to do something, you do it anyway!" Sonic jeered.

Suddenly, they heard sniffling. They had kept going east of Petunia instead of heading back to the main garden. Heading more to the right, they found a strange well. Kirby tossed one of the red berries he found down it, only to be attacked by a Bzzap. Samus immediately aimed her canon at it, but it kept flying around so she couldn't hit it.

"Aw…" she groaned.

It wasn't until Link jumped in the air and brought his sword onto the wasp's head that it finally left everyone alone. Sonic wondered why this part of the fields was so…dead looking. Soil was hardened, trees were bare and rickety, some were even knocked down, and a few patches of grass were yellow. They shrugged it off and headed back to the Main Field, eager to get out of the flower nightmare.

"What do you think's going to happen next?" Kirby asked, trying to strike up some conversation.

Link shrugged. "I'd believe anything could at this point…"

"The possibilities _are_ endless…" Sonic added.

"True…true…"

* * *

**Crappy ending, I know. But I had to cut it short...for classified reasons. the next chapter is my favorite in Chapter 6, so that means it can't be too bad. Plus, it's a lot longer (only a few words less than Chapter 40!)**

**In other news, happy birthday mom! :D Poor her, she just had surgery Tuesday when nothing was wrong! (And no one would listen to my two cents about it!) But i'm just glad she's fine now. ;) **


	45. Let's Frolic to the Flowers

Paper Mario X

Chapter 44: Let's Frolic to the Flowers

Bombette skipped down the Southeast path. The rest of the group wondered why she would be so peppy. Their mind was taken off her when Goombario pointed out a Super Block on a ledge above them. It couldn't be reached, so Mario stopped to ask the nearby flower about it.

"Good day, Mario! It's nice to see you! I'm the guard of this gate. I must tell you, though; I don't let many people through. I have excellent taste in foods, so you must bring me something sufficiently tasty to get by…"

"Sounds familiar…" grumbled Samus.

"Well? Do you have anything?"

Mario wasn't sure if she'd like a Red Berry, so he decided to explore around a little more to see if he could find a yellow one just in case. He led his group to the southwest path, past a bucktoothed Marigold or something, where a Red Flower was also guarding a gate.

"Hello stranger! What do you think of my nice red coloring? Isn't it nice?" she giggled.

"Sure! Why not!" stated Samus in mock pleasure. The flower didn't seem to notice.

"You want to pass through here? Ha ha ha…No, I'm sorry. I couldn't possibly let you through. Although, perhaps I could make an exception if you gave me something delicious to eat…"

Mario pulled out his other Red Berry, to Kirby's disappointment, and gave it to the red flower.

"Munch, chomp, snack…ooh, delicious! This is it! Great color! Full flavor! It's perfect! You're a champ for bringing me such a tasty snack. Of course you can go through!"

Mario was glad he didn't give the berry to the yellow flower. The white, vine covered gates swung open and Mario trotted in. They encountered another Bzzap with a Ruff Puff, but with Samus and Parakarry, they were easy to take out. They ran into a few more enemies on the way, but nothing they couldn't take care of. Mario hit a tree with his hammer, making a yellow berry fall. Kirby snagged it before anyone else could and held it dearly. Mario shrugged and continued.

* * *

"Wow." That was the only thought that passed through all the minds. Water flowed over the edged of a few rocks and ledges, and the grass seemed greener on the other side. In the center of it all was a Crystal Tree with a Posie under it. The crystals slightly shimmered; they probably would have sparkled more in the sun. Kirby and Bombette were in awe at the sight.

"Look at this crystal tree. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in the entire world?" Posie asked.

"Yes…" a select few whispered, most noticeably Kirby.

"…oh, excuse me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Posie."

"Ha! Your mouth is all long and dark! It looks so dumb! What's wrong with it?" Sonic cackled, trying to suppress the insults. A few others snickered with him. Her "mouth" wasn't exactly like a mouth…

"Hm? 'What's wrong with my mouth?' This is my nose! How rude!" Posie snapped.

"Oh jeez…" cursed Sonic. "_Stupid over-powering rudeness_…"

"Anyway, it was this Fertile Soil that made my nose grow so long! I happen to like it! Hee hee…"

"_Either that or lying_…" Samus whispered to Link and Sonic who chuckled again.

"Your nose is pretty nice too!" the two-shaded yellow flower pointed out to Mario. "It could stand to be a little bit longer, so why don't you take this Fertile Soil? Your nose'll be perfect soon! …hee hee hee…"

Mario awkwardly thanked her for the soil…and the nose compliment. She then turned to Sonic.

"I forgive you for your mistake. In fact, your nose is actually long enough! Excellent!"

Insert insane laughter.

Kirby made the mistake of flicking Sonic's nose while the rest of the crowd cracked some "Nosey" jokes. (Which I'm not writing down because they're **_really_** bad…) Sonic, with a now red face, punched Kirby and sent him flying into the crystal tree.

"My nose is just fine…" he grumbled while rubbing it. Posie yelped in pain and explained the mysterious reason to why she was so close to the tree. Her roots and the tree roots were connected, so when the tree is hit it hurts her too. Kirby rubbed his head and pulled two dangling crystal leaves from the tree. He scurried off when Posie shouted at him.

"Looks like I barked up the wrong tree!" he called behind him. Link heard and snorted.

* * *

Now that they had a Yellow Berry, Mario and the crew went back to the yellow flower. He eagerly tossed the berry into her mouth.

"Bravo! Magnificent! A sweet, subtle flavor with a delicious finish! And such marvelous coloring! It reminds me of the warm sunlight I so yearn for. I'm truly taken aback by your cultured taste! Of course you may go!" she gushed. Mario nodded and headed through another gate. Bombette went to skip again, but was stopped by the sudden yanking of her braid.

"Hey! What are you doing, hedgehog?" She yelled at Sonic.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know you wanted to be pricked to your doom!" Sonic remarked, pointing downward at the slithering thorny vines (or roots…).

"Oh."

"I didn't think so."

"Thanks?"

"Meh, it's what I do!"

Sonic swung her over back to Link who winked at him. Sonic winked back and ran/leaped over the obstacles. The platforms were pretty small, and got farther apart with each jump. Of course, that was no match for Sonic. With a good running start, you'd be amazed at how far you could jump. Mario skillfully made it across with the help of Parakarry at the last few jumps. He helped everyone else too except Goombario, who was accidentally knocked off by Kooper.

"AUGH! MY FACE!" he shrieked.

"Sorry…kinda…" Kooper shouted.

Goombario sprung out of the death trap and onto the other side. Everyone shook their heads as he trudged behind them. He remembered the Super Block on the ledge and snuck off the go get it while Samus tackled the Amazy Dayzee. Knowing how rare it was and how often it ran away, no one went to hold Samus back.

"You are one tough flower…" Samus gritted through her teeth while firing endless ammo, with only two hitting it and Amazy _still_ didn't fall. Mario used Lullaby to put in to sleep and (Amazy-ly), it worked.

"Go get it Sam!" Sonic urged. Samus groaned as she bounced back with a good wallop of a punch. Parakarry pitched in with a Sky Dive. Sonic and Link didn't want to be left out and used a combination of Homing Attack and Sword Slash to finish it off.

"We got it! We got it!" shouted Kirby.

"We? _You_ didn't do anything!" Samus huffed.

"Oh yeah…" Because Kirby didn't help, he also didn't level up. Everyone else did. "STUPID KARMA!!!"

"Sweet! Another level!" Sonic cheered. All four of them chose FP to level up. Kirby cried. Once Link had finished mocking Kirby, he saw Goombario making his way over to the Super Block, but was in battle against a stubborn Dayzee.

"Ek! Okay um…Sonic! Take Parakarry to be leveled up before Goombario gets there!" Link ordered while showing Sonic what he meant. Samus tried to tell him she wanted to wait until she found her soul partner, but Sonic already snagged Parakarry and was running up the steps.

"Leave it to me!" he called over his shoulder. He ran into an unsuspecting Goombario, causing him to fly back into the thorn brush. They seemed to pull him down into the spiky depths.

"I WAS SO CLOSE!!!"

Sonic snickered and had Parakarry hit the block, making him enter Ultra Rank. They could hear the nerdy mushroom cry out in the crawling roots.

"Too easy!" stated Sonic as he tossed Parakarry back over to Samus.

"Uh…thanks, I guess…" Samus mumbled. Link raised an eyebrow.

"You're not very enthusiastic about it…"

"Seriously! **I** just leveled up! You should be throwing a party!" scoffed Parakarry.

"It's just I-I don't know how to react! Uh…that's it!"

"Oh, quit beating around the bush Samus!"

Everyone moaned at Link's saying. Link shrugged and said it was the right thing to say at the moment and looked back at Samus. Samus folded her arms and glowered back.

"I'm fine Link. Let's keep going so we can get out of this colorful nightmare!"

"What happened to this being the most fun you've ever had?"

Samus replied with a snort and stomped off. Mario shook his head and trailed after her.

"What is something I did?" Sonic asked Link. Link pondered for a bit and shook his head.

"No, it's not your fault. If we know her well enough, deep under her hard, metal suit she has feelings, and she's probably jealous that we all have our own partners except for her…"

Sonic was taken aback. "She doesn't need to be jealous of me! I only took Kooper because…well, he's cool, and we have the same personality…almost…and Sushie because she's my slave, in a way…and she's just trying to pay me back."

"That might be true, but I've worked up a pretty good bond with Bombette, if you couldn't tell…"

"Yeah, Link and I are inseparable!" Bombette laughed while rushing next to Link's side. Link patted her braid. They walked a little farther when Kirby hopped next to them.

"Hi, guys! I was eavesdropping!" he announced.

"That's not something you exactly tell people…" Sonic remarked.

"Oh well. I heard you guys talking partners…"

"Yep. We think Samus is upset because she doesn't have her soul partner yet…" Link filled in.

"OH…that'd probably be why, except Samus doesn't do that kind of thing. She just sees an enemy and tries to kill it on the spot. Nothing else."

"Kirby…everyone has feelings…even Samus though she tries to hide it…" stuttered Sonic.

"Uh huh…well, I…you know…Bow…"

Link and Sonic groaned at the same time and then started to laugh. Kirby slammed his hammer on their feet. They danced in pain as Kirby continued to talk. "As I was saying, I couldn't stand to be away from Bow, even though at times we don't quite see eye to eye…and when this is all done, I won't see her again…"

_"Ah…I didn't think about that…"_ Link whispered while sneaking a glanced at a humming Bombette.

"When did this go from Samus being depressed to our own personal problems?" Sonic guffawed in wonder. "We are MEN, dang it! We don't share feelings! We are like steel! We are cement blocks! WE ARE TOUGH! And, we DO NOT have soft insides!"

Link and Kirby just stared at Sonic as Sonic tapped his foot impatiently. Kirby finally spoke up. "He has a point…"

"He has no point! Life as we know it would collapse without hormones or emotions!"

"It's the flowers…they're weakening us! **Ah**!!!!"

"Link! Kirby! Nic! Hurry up!" Samus shouted from a couple flowers away.

"I'm glad we had this chat!" rushed Sonic while speeding to catch up. Link and Kirby chased after.

* * *

When they caught up to Mario, he had collected two Blue berries and was investigating an empty area. He suspected it was supposed to be filled with water, but where did it go? Sonic told him to forget about it and keep going. Mario shrugged and continued. In the next area, the group knew for sure something was wrong when a Lily was lying on a stone floor where a pond should have been. They all rushed down to see how they could help-except Sonic who was a bit reluctant…

"Gaahh! Oh, how horrible! The spring went dry!" she sobbed. "What a tragedy! Oh,…this can't happen to me! No, it can't! Not to Lily! Somebody! The horrible thing that rides clouds…took our precious Water Stone!"

"Horrible thing that rides a cloud…" pondered Mario.

"Water flows from that magical Water Stone…without it, the spring will never recover…and I'll wither up if I can't float on the water! I'll be crushed by my own weight and wither…Poor Lily!"

"Why does she talk in third person and then first and back again?" asked Kirby.

"Maybe she was a few pedals short of blooming…" semi-joked Link.

"Oh, no! Don't give up Lily! Perhaps a handsome prince will arrive and help you…"

"Ah, that'd be me…" Sonic said coolly while slicking back his quills and smirking. Samus hit him.

"You're kidding, right?"

Lily heard her and turned around to see the Rescue Party. Mario caught her eye though, and she gasped.

"Oh! A prince…well, he actually looks more like a plumber, but beggars can't be choosers!"

Everyone but Mario took a giant step back as she turned around again. Mario made a face at that reaction but quickly hid it when the flower started to talk again. "Hello, my name is Lily. I'm a beautiful, fragile flower who lives in this spring. Um…to tell the truth, I actually need to ask you a favor. Could you get my water stone back from that horrible cloud creature?"

Mario gave a thumbs up as a response. Lily thanked him, told him what it looked like, and sent him on his way.

They went back to the Main Field, and went down the West path which sort of seemed obvious. At the entrance was a blue flower, and Mario was glad he had grabbed those Blue berries.

"Ahh, I'm so hungry…I'm tired of guarding this stupid old gate…I'm so, so hungry…Hey, you there! I don't suppose you have anything good to eat that you'd like to give me…Listen, if you give me something succulent, I'll let you through here, and I won't tell anybody…"

Mario gladly fed him the Blue Berry, getting a great reaction.

"A Blue Berry? I'm sure this'll be gross…Munch chomp munch…oh, how delicious! Such a splendid taste! There ARE good blue things!"

"Me!" said the blue hedgehog.

"I'm filled with hope again! Go! Go and never feel blue! I'll never forget you!"

"Getting a little ahead of yourself…" twitched Link.

Mario headed through the newly open gate on the way to find the Water Stone. Down this new road, the gang encountered some Spinies, a spring that led to nothing, and ended at a maze.

"Joy! This'll be fun!" Samus sighed sarcastically.

"Are you kidding? This maze is made out of hedge, and last time I checked, I'm a hedgehog!" Sonic chuckled. "I'll be out of this thing in no time!"

**"No time" later…**

"Okay…I've definitely been here before…and there's a dead end. All right, I'm LOST! You can help now!"

The group groaned as Mario charged forward. They stopped when they noticed two Lakitus floating around.

"Lakitu! I knew it!" Mario exclaimed in his head.

"Hey! Where'd you drop it idiot?" one shouted to the other. "Huff N. Puff will have our clouds if we don't find it!"

"Ohhhh…man, I'm so clumsy! That stone gave out an endless supply of water! Without it, we can't increase the power of the Puff Puff Machine! It's just gotta be around here somewhere! It's just gotta be!" the second cried. The first then turned around.

"What? Is that…Mario? Look, man, it's Mario! Let's look for the stone later. Let's go rough this dude up!"

"Eek! We're busted!" cried Kirby. "Why must you be so famous, Mario?!"

Mario glared daggers at Kirby.

"Oh no! Mario? Are you sure? I'm not sure I'm, you know, in the right mental state…" the second Lakitu shivered. "Aw forget it! I'll fight anyway! Here it comes, Mario!"

The two Lakitus appeared with two Spinies. Mario started the fight with a Power Jump on the first Lakitu and Watt used Electro Dash to dispose of him. The other Lakitu threw a Spiny Egg that became a Spiny. The other Spinies rolled into Mario. Link used his move to eat some Maple Syrup while Bombette blasted the new Spiny. The Spinies rolled into Link. Kirby killed one with his Final Cutter and Bow managed to scare another away. The last one rolled into Kirby, but Kirby blocked. Samus was dying to use her missile, but she was still out of FP. She grunted as she swallowed some Maple Syrup. Parakarry's attack would hurt him, and he didn't want to irritate Samus by using FP. Luckily, he didn't have to attack.

"Hey! There you guys are!" Sonic called while bouncing into the battle. He glanced at the Spiny. "This is what's troubling you? Ha! SONIC WIND!"

Sonic's hands lit up in a hue of blue as a blast of energy was unleashed. It was so powerful; it knocked the Spiny out of the fight, and got rid of the Lakitu.

"Show off!" snorted Samus.

"Hey, I can't help that!"

The Lakitus hovered away as Mario gave another thumbs up.

"Into the maze!" urged Kooper.

"You've been admiring too much Kolorado…"

Kooper shrugged and went in. Mario coughed and regained his leadership. They spent hours trying to get to the center by wading through neck deep leaves and crawling through hedges. Finally, Samus had enough and used her laser to cut to the center just as Mario found the pipe that led there.

"Nice." was all she could say as she went through her newly created path.

"You and your weapons…"

"Shut up Link."

At the other end of the maze was a rose in the center of plenty of green. The patio she grew under was laced with white roses. Her thorny stem grew into vines of some sort to spread out her beauty. She was pretty, but you could never trust a rose…

"Oh hello. It seems like ages since I last saw a visitor here. I'm Rosie, a Rose Spirit. I'm ever so glad to meet you!"

"That's cool but-"

"Here I am in full bloom, and there's nobody to look at me! Please, admire me all you like! Breathtaking, aren't I?"

"Uh…sure?"

"Really? I'm that beautiful? You're so honest and charming! And underneath that scruffy mustache, green tunic, and power suit, I bet you guys are handsome!" Samus was taken aback.

"I'M A WOMAN!" she screeched. Rosie just humphed. Samus muttered something nasty. Clearly you could hear the femine sound in her voice.

"Hey! Where I come from, green tunics are in style!" Link protested, striking a pose.

"I like you, and because I like you I'll show you this!" Rosie pulled out the glinting Water Stone, shining in all its H2O glory. Mario immediately held out his hands for it while Rosie explained she had found it the other day when a Lakitu dropped it. Mario grunted and asked for the stone.

"Huh? What did you say? I should give you this stone? Oh dear…you're saying Lily's in trouble without this?"

"Yeah…matter of life and death again!" Sonic pointed out.

"…How very sad. Oh well, it can't be helped. This stone is mine now, you see?"

For a moment, Link thought she would break out into an evil laugh with lightning lighting up the sky. Too bad it didn't happen.

"You…are one pricky rose…" Kirby scowled.

Mario continued to explain that Lily would wither up without the stone. But Rosie was sure that Lily just thought she was prettier than she was and wanted the stone for herself. She thought again, and if there was no Lily, there'd be no competition for her. So she settled with giving it to them if they found her something even more beautiful.

"Never a rose without the prick…" muttered Link. Rosie snapped.

"I heard that! Do you know how many times people told me that?"

"Apparently, I'm not surprised."

"Grr…just go get me a prettier stone, you rude little weed!"

"Ring around the Rosie…"

* * *

After returning to Main Field once again, Mario pondered about where to go. Bombette suggested they go back to Posie and see if she would give them a crystal or something from her gorgeous tree. Link patted her braid in praise while Mario considered the logic. Bombette was one smart Bomb…

"Please have something pretty…" prayed Samus.

When they reached Posie, Mario explained about the episode with Rosie, and Posie understood.

"Rosie really loves beautiful things above all else. She's a little self-involved. Have you noticed?"

"Who hasn't?!?" cried Link.

"You really need help huh? Ok, I'll help you. This tree and I are connected by our roots-" "-We KNOW that-" "-so maybe one or two Crystal Berries will fall if I shake the tree." it took all she had to knock a few berries out of the tree. One look made Kirby pounce on one, with Mario taking the other.

"Phew…oops. That was a bit unladylike…hee hee hee hee hee!"

"So?" input Samus.

"Rosie should be more than satisfied with that berry."

Mario thanked Posie and ran all the way back to Rosie. It was another battle through the brush, but worth it when they gave Rosie the Crystal Berry.

"Oh how pretty! I love it! That's much nicer than this ugly old stone. You'd better hurry back and give this stone to Lily. Make sure she knows she was saved because of me!" Rosie squealed. Mario snatched the radiant blue stone, which was way prettier than the stones Bombette found in Dry Dry Ruins. If it wasn't to save a flower's life, she would have taken it for her own.

* * *

**...this chapter makes Flower Fields not seem so bad. ^*^**


	46. Samus and LakiMikeSpikeLester

Paper Mario X

Chapter 45: Samus and Laki-Mike-Spike-Lester

Lily was overjoyed at the sight of the Water Stone. She practically slurred when she told Mario to stick it in the hole at the bottom of the spring. Sonic zoomed onto land before the water sprung out of the stone, sending the rest of the group with it. Everyone but Mario landed on land. Bow and Bombette spun around Mario, but sooner or later flew off too. They, Link, and Kirby chuckled. Mario comfortably sat on top, going higher and higher. Eventually, he fell too, and the spring was full of life again. Sushie sighed and dove in to take a swim.

"Oh! It's water! Sweet water!" shrieked Lily, looking brighter already. "The spring is full of water…I'm floating again…this is paradise!"

"Easy for you to say!" Sonic mumbled, staying as far from the water as he could.

"Thank you so very much! I'll give you some Miracle Water from this spring!" it was so cold, it nearly froze Mario's gloves off. "This is the most nourishing water around! It's made with a little Lily extract! If you use this Miracle Water on any plant, it'll grow like gangbusters! Uh…not right now…because there's no sun."

Lily went on to explain how Mario and friends should go get the sun back into the sky. Mario had no idea about how to do that, but thought about it anyway. On the way back to Main Field, Mario, with the now raised water, used Sushie to reach an extremely blue tree to gather a few Bubble Berries. Kirby stealthily snuck two and begun to work on something. Bow knew it was something for her, but wanted to be a good sport and not spy.

"That IS a really pretty tree…" awed Bombette. All the shades of blue, hues of purple, and bits of pink were really a gorgeous combination. Link picked the bomb her own Bubble Berry so she'd have a piece of it.

"Yay!"

Sonic didn't want to spend any more time around water and hopped on Sushie. He swam to the other side and sent her back to get the others.

"No reason to be pushy…" she said.

"I can think of ten."

* * *

They crossed the Pit of Thorns again, with Goombario landing inside again, due to his hat being "blown off" and he had to dive in after it.

"Goombario's bald!" Link pointed out. Everyone wouldn't let that one go. Goombario had wished he had arms to cover his naked scalp with.

In the Northwest Area, Mario met the Bubble Plant that took one of Mario's Bubble Berries. It created a bubble for them to cross another patch of thorns. There wasn't enough room, so guess who had to wade through the sharp pain?

"My eyes are scratched…" bawled Goombario. He watched sadly as his team floated above him. Kooper waved from inside. Goombario cried.

"Look on the bright side Goom!" Link told him. "You'll be helping us!"

"In what? The entertainment section?"

"…that too…"

As soon as Goombario got out of his trap, the rest of the group had wiped out two Bzzaps and a Green Magikoopa. He just sighed and trotted behind everyone else while walking through a log.

"Hey Mario! I found a Mega Smash Badge! Unequip Power Smash and use this instead!" Link called. He and Bombette had found a rock with a crack in it and it led to a ledge with a badge. Link tossed the badge to Mario, who caught it instantly.

"I'm loving that pink color!" observed Bombette.

"How come only Mario gets to wear badges?" Sonic complained.

"It's probably because he's native to this world!" Samus replied.

"Bummer…"

Mario grinned smugly and continued on his way. The next area had a tower with stairs, but one was way too high.

"How are we supposed to get up there?" asked Kirby.

"Leave it to us!" Link stated while using Bombette to blow up another rock under the steps. "Too easy! Piece of cake!"

"HEY! Get your own catch phase!" Sonic hissed.

"Pish…you have enough to go around!" Samus chuckled.

"Quiet Sam!"

"Shut up…_NIC_!"

"Grr…"

"GUYS! LOOK!"

The bickering friends turned to see the one high step suddenly sink to where the rock was, and it revealed some more stairs.

"All right!" Kooper praised. He was trying to be better than Kolorado rather than admire him. That wouldn't be too hard to do. Mario and co. climbed up to the top. Sonic coughed and raced in front of everyone, nearly knocking some over. Kooper trudged uncomfortably behind, Sushie following not wanting to be outdone. Everyone heard his surprised cry at the top.

"Gah! SUN!"

Once they reach the top, they saw what he was talking about. An orange sun with a yellowish mustache sat sadly on the roof. Sonic was frozen in a running stance.

"Hey…hello. I never thought anybody would come all the way up here. I'm the sun. No…that's not entirely true. I should say, I WAS the Sun."

"Dude, you can't just say you're not the Sun. You'll always be the Sun!" Sonic pointed out.

"The clouds that come out of the Puff Machine that Huff N. Puff built…those clouds keep me from climbing up into the sky. I'm a complete failure as a sun. All of those flowers and plants in Flower Fields are suffering…"

"But it's not your fault…" Bombette said.

Mario agreed as he asked where the Puff Puff Machine was.

"I think it's East of here. The clouds seem to come from over there, anyway. Why do you want to know? Do you want take down the Puff Puff Machine? Naw…there's no way…don't strain yourself. You might as well go home."

"Ha! Us, go home? We are Heroes, and heroes do NOT give up! We do the impossible!" Kirby stated.

"Wow. Bold." Bow commented.

"Thank you. I'm not going to take some talk from a **sun**! I thought it was supposed the brighten days up, not make them _bleaker_! They also-"

"Okay, going too far…"

"Sorry."

The Sun just sighed.

"WE'LL SHOW YOU! YOU'LL BE HAPPY!"

Kirby proudly stomped down the steps. Everyone smacked their heads, besides the fact that Kirby was right.

"To the east path!" he cried.

* * *

Before they even got out of the west path, they ran into someone.

"Hey hey…hold up man."

A Lakitu suddenly flew down from the sky. He had a Mohawk and a "cool" pair of shades. Samus raised an eyebrow.

"Hey man! I don't think we've ever met. I mean, you're Mario right? My name is Lakilester…er, no it's Michael…No, um…Oh yeah…Spike. Yeah yeah, I'm Spike. Well, whatever. Nevermind."

Everyone: ??????

"Look, I don't have a problem with you personally, but I've got orders from Huff N. Puff. Sorry, men, but I have to give you a bit of a beat down. Like I said, man, sorry! (Did I sound cool? Ha! Yeah, totally cool!) Here it comes, men!"

Samus had it. Her angry caused her helmet to flip back. "I AM A WOMAN!!!!!" Her blond hair seemed to stand on end. "Spike" recoiled.

"Whoa! Sorry man- er, uh…woman! I just thought Mario hung out with only guys…"

Samus lost it. She set up her canon at full power and aimed it between "Spike's" eyes. She prepared to set fire, but…

"I…I…I can't do it!?!?!" she gawked. Everyone gasped and Kooper passed out.

"SHE CAN'T FIRE A MISSILE? IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!" Kirby screamed. Mario pondered.

"If it was the end of the world, Goombario would be ruling it!" Link stated. Goombario tried to appear unfazed. Kirby jumped up and yanked on the collar of his tunic.

"Samus. No. Fire. Missile. SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT WITH THE WORLD!!!!"

"End or not, we have to fight this creep!" Sonic enforced.

"I said I was sorry!"

"If you were sorry you wouldn't have done it in the first place!"

Spike shrugged and the battle began. Spike had 50 HP, which was odd for a Lakitu. Mario was a little miffed that he couldn't use his new Mega Smash, but just started with Power Jump anyway. Watt used Electro Dash. Spike tossed a Spiny at Mario's head. Link and Bombette grunted. Spike was a flying enemy, meaning they had to fuse both their turns into one. Link catapulted Bombette into Spike and then she exploded. Spike rolled his eyes and made a Spiny to assist him. Bow smacked Spike and Kirby would have used Cutter, but he ate a Mushroom for God-knows-why. Spike hit Bow, which made Kirby growl. Samus hesitated, but then Power Punched the Spiny to history. She was secretly glad she found an alternate solution. Parakarry shell shot into Spike, and Samus slightly cringed. Link noticed that and raised an eyebrow. Sonic used Sonic Wind and Kooper ate a Maple Syrup. Samus shivered.

"Why…do I feel sorry for him?" she asked herself. Link and Mario exchanged glances and knew what that meant. Mario had to jump on him, which made Samus quiver even more. She had an urge to just jump in front of Spike and shield him from all the attacks. Mario and Link nodded in agreement. Link knew it would crush Samus, but he sent Bombette back up again. Samus couldn't take it and dived in front of the attack. Everyone gasped all at once, including Spike.

Samus didn't want anything happening to her soul partner.

* * *

*** gets pelted with shouts of "I KNEW IT!" , "didn't see that coming", and "What about Sonic?!"* **

**Next time- Samus finally ditches Parakarry (but the hatred stays the same), she and Sonic have a small talk, and Kirby gets an unexpected response from a small moment with his Soul Partner...oh yeah, they take out the Puff Puff Machine and prepare for Cloudy Climb, but _that's_ not important...XD**


	47. The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Paper Mario X

Chapter 46: The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Subtitle: Here Comes the Sun

_"Why…do I feel sorry for him?" she asked herself. Link and Mario exchanged glances and knew what that meant. Mario had to jump on him, which made Samus quiver even more. She had an urge to just jump in front of Spike and shield him from all the attacks. Mario and Link nodded in agreement. Link knew it would crush Samus, but he sent Bombette back up again. Samus couldn't take it and dived in front of the attack. Everyone gasped all at once, including Spike._

_Samus didn't want anything happening to her soul partner._

* * *

Bombette screamed when she hit Samus. She couldn't stop her fuse from going off, so she ended up hurting Samus. Samus didn't care. As long as it didn't hurt Spike. That was all that mattered. The only thing though was that Spike only had two HP left, and even though Samus defended him, he still received the aftermath. Spike cried out. Samus did too.

"Yeah! He's pushing daisies!" Kirby cheered.

"Kirby!" Samus hissed, more shocked than cold and distant. It was still enough to make him hold his mouth shut.

"Man! You're tough as nails! I give up man!" Spike groaned while pulling himself up. "Go on…do your worst. I'm not afraid of it. Do whatever you do to guys you've defeated…Fire Flower in the eye…POW Block… "

"Final Cutter in the…"

"Over my dead body!" Samus yelled, jumping in front of him with her blaster pointed at her friends.

"Oh I get it! You can't shoot at the enemy, but we're okay for target practice?" scoffed Sonic while raising an eyebrow.

"WAIT!!!" a girly voice that wasn't Samus' cried. Everyone went to look at the female Lakitu on a pink cloud with a orange ponytail floating down toward Spike. Samus gaped and backed away from him.

"Aw, no Lakilulu!" Spike whined.

"No! please! Please have mercy on my poor, sweet Lakilester!" Lakilulu pleaded.

"Aw, don't call me Lakilester! It's Spike remember? I told you I changed my name last month! C'mon now! Man…I mean, gee whiz…you're always embarrassing me like this…Although, for some reason it makes me like you even more…" Lakilester rambled.

GASP.

"I mean, what? No!! Did I say that out loud? Forget that I said that!"

"I know how you feel man…" Kirby sighed while shaking his head.

"…anyway, I lost a challenge man-to-man, so we have to settle this! I have to face the music…"

"The music?"

"Mario please forgive him! My Lakilester was just following Huff N. Puff's orders!" Lakilulu begged.

"I don't even see what he did wrong…" Samus admitted. She glanced at Mario. "You'd better forgive him!"

Mario quickly nodded. Link agreed in understanding, and Kirby and Sonic shrugged.

"How do we know Lakilulu is your REAL name? Is it Michelle or Sharpay or something?" Kirby accused.

"Kirby…" Bow warned while fanning herself.

"I went too far again…"

"I don't forgive him…" Sonic arrogantly finished. Lakilulu tossed a Spiny egg at him while Samus hit him on the head. "Okay! I forgive!"

"Really? Oh, for real? You'll forgive him? Oh, thank you!" Lakilulu gushed.

"Stop calling me Lakilester! It's such a stupid name! My name is Spike! Spike! Don't you ever listen to me?" Lakilester protested. "Sigh…I'm beginning to think that this whole deal is stupid. I was working for Huff N. Puff to be part of something big, but all I've been doing is picking pointless fights. This isn't what I wanted in life…what I wanted was…"

"To be the best?" wondered Sonic.

"To be part of a team?" Mario thought.

"To be yourself?" Samus asked.

"To eat all you can?" pondered Kirby.

"To rock the world!" finished Link. Eyebrows raised in one swift motion. "Well…they took all the good ones!"

Lakilester didn't answer. "Hey, men…and woman. I've got a question for you. What in the world are you doing all this fighting for?"

"For myself!" Link chortled. Everyone looked at him. "Kidding…God…"

"For world peace!" Kirby said coolly while giving a peace sign.

"No reason…" Sonic stated.

"Why, Spike?" Samus asked. Lakilester slightly smiled as he shrugged.

"Man, you're all cool customers. You're out there every day risking life limb just because you feel like it?"

"That's what I do!" Sonic chuckled.

"Ha, don't be modest!" Samus snorted.

"Wow, talk about a tough gang. You know what? I wanna fight just because I feel like it! I'm going with you!"

Mario and Link winked at each other while Samus silently cheered. Kirby and Sonic exchanged glances.

"Oh, no, Lakilester! You can't leave me!" Lakilulu sobbed. "Please, take me with you!"

"Aw, Lakilulu, chill out! You've gotta understand…I'm doing this for you, don't you see? I'm going. I've got to be a man! Wait for me. I'll return a much more manly Lakitu!"

"Someone change the channel; soap opera's on!" Link mocked, pretending to push a button on a fake remote.

Lakilulu said she'd wait sadly, and then warned him he'd be sorry if he didn't return in one piece. Lakilester chuckled, and joined Samus's side. Parakarry grunted when Lakilester had a similar power like his.

"I'm getting replaced!" he groaned.

"It's okay, Karry. You can go back to Mario and Watt can finally relax," Samus said. "...but I've got my eye on you..." Parakarry shrugged, silently glad he didn't have to face the wrath of Samus -much- anymore, and floated over to Mario's side. Mario winked at the mailman and it brightened his day. Samus and Lakilester knuckle touched. Link stated it was time to go take down the Puff Puff Machine. Samus agreed, and Kirby hopped up and down excitedly.

"Here we go!" Sonic called, already 9 feet away from them. Lakilulu called her boyfriend by the name he hated, and Samus snickered when he complained. Mario was just glad she wouldn't take out her partner less anger on anyone else again. He charged forward, but realized they were trapped on the other side of the thorns. Lakilester happily took Samus across, then came back for everyone else. Link tossed Goombario off, of course, for no reason at all.

"I find joy in that for some reason…"

* * *

Up in the Northeast Path, Everyone but Samus, Mario, and Lakilester stayed safe on the side while they maneuvered seven switches. When you hit one, some would go up while others would go down. They spent half an hour trying to make it perfectly straight, but Mario got fed up and hit the 6th, 5th, 1st, 2nd, 6th, and finally 7th in a fury of anger. To everyone's surprise, it worked.

"Wow Mario! We should make you frustrated more often!" Sonic remarked. Mario shrugged. On the other side, Samus found another Super Block, turning on Goombario's I-will-get-that Switch. Samus noticed a spring under the platform that held it and made a mad dash for it. Goombario was close behind, but received a missile in the face.

"I don't know why I even bother!"

Samus told Lakilester to get the block, and upped him to Super Rank.

"Now that's cool!" Lakilester exclaimed.

"It's just something I found out…" Samus grinned. Seeing Samus smile nearly made Kirby pass out. Sonic clapped and walked over to her.

"Feeling better now?" he asked. Samus nodded ever-so slightly. "Good. Now everyone has a Soul Partner except _me_…"

"What are you talking about! You have Kooper, don't you?" Samus retorted.

"Yes, I have Kooper, but he's not my Soul Partner! Just a normal partner…have you seen us bond as well as Link and Bombette or Kirby and Bow? Heck, you were willing to risk your_ life_ for the enemy because you had a bond that was meant to be made!"

Samus glanced at Lakilester and gave a small smile. When she turned back to Sonic, her mood fell. He was trying to smile, but Samus could tell he also felt strongly about the whole "soul partner" thing. It seemed to be a big part to everyone…Sonic looked down, kicked the dirt, told her they need to keep going, and left in a gust of wind. Samus pressed her lips together as Lakilester asked if he was making Sonic uncomfortable.

"No…it's not you. It's the fact that I have you…c'mon. We gotta train you and whip you into Team Mario shape! You remind me of a hippie…"

"HEY!"

* * *

They made their way around the Ruff Puffs and continued their way to the Puff Puff Machine. Going through logs, avoiding Lakitus, and Goombario's complaints were nothing compared to the Yellow Magikoopa chilling with a few Lakitus. One Lakitu was singing.

"Aw, fluffy fluffy, great Puff Puff Machine! Spewing out the clouds…making brown out of green! Wither 'em all up! YEAH!"

Everyone sweat dropped. Lakilester said he never met that guy in his life. Mario accidentally disturbed the Yellow Magikoopa, making it summon all the Lakitus to battle. Everyone got into fighting stances. Mario began with a Mega Smash on the Magikoopa. He had been dying to use it. It totally demolished it, leaving Parakarry to Sky Dive into the first Lakitu. All three Lakitus threw Spiny Eggs at Mario. Link pouted and threw Bombette into the first Lakitu which defeated it. Both fighters were mad that they couldn't fight as effectively. One Lakitu hatched a new Spiny while the other got his projectile countered. Link smiled smugly. Kirby smashed the Spiny, but it only did 3. Bow helped him out with her smack. The Lakitus growled and tossed the spike balls into Kirby.

"No need to be such a bad sport!" Kirby whined while clutching his head, too distracted to hit them both back. Samus charged up her favorite weapon and let a missile sail through the Lakitus like a torpedo in water. One fell, the other didn't. Lakilester took care of it.

"Ba ha ha ha! Look at those chumps run away!" Lakilester cackled.

Sonic grumbled that he didn't even get a turn. Link told him he could have the honor of destroying the machine instead.

"Cool! That's even better than fighting some old enemies!" Sonic scoffed. He used his Whirlwind, which made him circle the machine at practically Mach 5 speed, with Sonic throwing in punches and kicks.

"What's wrong machine? Can't handle it?"

Parts of the machine started to chip off, the buttons broke, a pipe fell, and wires started to explode. Sonic gave it one last blow and the skies cleared up instantly.

"Now that's how it's done!" Sonic remarked while bashing it with one of the electricity conductors. "I bet you guys couldn't have done that!"

* * *

The skies above Flower Fields were a sky blue once again. The cheers of all the residents could be heard for ages. Still, the sun wasn't in the sky…

^*^

"Wow!!!!! The clouds are gone! It's time for a little sunshine!" the Sun gasped. It rose into the sky once again, casting its joyful warm rays on all the plants and flowers.

*^*

Witherwood was pleased to see the sun in the sky once again and that Mario had saved Flower Fields.

^*^

Posie sat under her sparkling tree, now that sunlight was being shot into it. The crystals let of little rainbows of glee onto the ground below. The yellow flower squealed again.

*^*

Lily turned around to see a rainbow spring up in her spring. "…once again I gaze at sunlight on the water…" The rainbow rose higher on the fountain of water.

^*^

Rosie was only glad the sun could help her beauty even more.

*^*

Petunia wasn't upset about being in one place anymore.

* * *

Samus never thought she'd be happy to see such a sunny day.

"Helping folks feels…good! I could get used to this man!" Lakilester said in shock.

"I know…I'm used to doing things for my benefit," admitted Samus.

Mario looked at the sun and couldn't help but smile. The rays felt so good. He proudly led his group back to the Main Field.

"Whoa…I never imagined Flower Fields to be so bright!" exclaimed Bow once they were back. Her face seemed to glow against the light. Kirby shifted uncomfortably and gulped before pulling Bow aside.

"Hi Bow. I…made this for you…" he stumbled. He pulled out two bows with a crystal berry in the center of them, fabric made out of the leaves from the bubble tree, and topped off with the crystal leaves he stole from Posie. Bow gasped and quickly unclipped her plain old ones. Kirby happily placed the new ones where her old ones had once been. The sunlight seemed to aim at the bows, making them sparkle with colors radiating from the sides.

"Kirby…they're beautiful…" Bow sighed, feeling the soft leaves.

Kirby smirked and folded his arms. "I knew you'd love them!"

"I do…but I haven't done anything to deserve them!"

"Are you kidding? You left the safety of your mansion to fight an invincible monster that could've eaten you, went into a toy-box gone wrong, helped me get through a jungle, and gave me the courage to make it out of a volcano! It's like I barely did anything. All I did was give you a gift…"

"But it's the thought that counts. Thank you Kirby."

She kissed his cheek (which made him faint while blushing an incredible red) and floated off to go show off her new treasures. Bombette noticed immediately and wanted all the details. Bow happily explained they came from a secret admirer. Bombette sighed and wished she had one. Link knew what that meant and grabbed Sonic. They found him passed out in a shade of vermillion behind Witherwood.

"Link to Kirby! Do you read?"

Kirby sat up. "Urh…what happened?"

"Most likely you gave Bow a gift and she kissed you and now you're getting ready to-"

"Shut up…" muttered Kirby. "Now that that's out of the way, I can go back to my normal, happy, Kirby self without Bow's unknown love in the way!"

Link and Sonic howled. "Oh YEAH RIGHT!!!"

Kirby made a face knowing they were probably right.

* * *

**Nice cute little chapter! Kirbow moment! XD **

**And now, a little word on Sonic...in the very original version of this, Sushie was Sonic's one and only partner. But, I didn't really feel a good enough connection with them to even _make_ Sushie his Soul Partner...so I had planned to go on with Sonic partnerless. Then I was thinking about a sequal, and bam! Greatest idea ever. If it wasn't for this great idea, I wouldn't have focused on it! The next story kinda expanded from "the idea", and now I'm slowly working on it. At the same time, several people (not just one) were saying how cool it would be if Kooper was his partner. Since I already had "the idea" in my head and the whole story written, I just couldn't go through with making all those changes! But, after some thought, I simply decided to make both Kooper and Sushie Sonic's partners for this story. Sonic shall get a buddy_ eventually_, which you may or may not see coming, (some of you may have gotten a large hint that you didn't even realize! ;D) **

**Next time: The gang takes on Ruff N. Puff in the Cloudy Climb! Then, Peach, Zelda, and Amy make a daring escape in the most outright and probably uncannon chapter in the story...**


	48. Fuffy Puff: Silver Lineless Cloud

Paper Mario X

Chapter 47: Fluffy Puff: The Cloud Without the Silver Lining

Once Kirby finally got what he wanted off his chest, he let Bow skip around with her new bows, letting the sunlight make rainbows hit her face. Bombette was jealous at first, but eventually just thought the entire idea was simply romantic.

"Great! Now we're getting all mushy. Mario, plant the seed before I puke!" Samus gagged.

"No need to get all graphical!" Lakilester piped from behind her. "I would do the same thing to my Lakilulu!"

"Oh, not you too!"

Mario went to a brown spot in the open field that he thought would be perfect for growing. He put the Fertile Soil down, plopped in the bean, and watered it with the Miracle Water. Everyone gathered around as the plant suddenly started to sprout. Two giant leaves grew, followed by a winding, swirly thick stalk. It spun and grew up into the far reaches of the clouds. It finally stopped growing when it penetrated through a golden cloud.

"All right! How do we get up this thing?" wondered Samus.

"We LEAF it!" Link called, standing on a leaf that brought him up.

"Forget that!" Sonic jeered, running up the side of the stalk. Mario got on his own leaf along with Samus and Kirby.

* * *

In the clouds, Sonic was taking a nap in the soft ground as everyone finally made it up.

"Heh, Sonic on Clouds..." chuckled Link.

"Sweet! I always wondered if a cloud was made out of cotton candy!" Kirby cheered, biting off a handful of cloud. "Hmm…melts in your mouth, but has more of an airy flavor…I like it!"

He took out a spoon a shoveled some more in. Link made him stop before he scooped a hole in the cloud. Sonic yawned, stretched, and jumped off the cloud he was sleeping on. "Whoa…those are better than those space mattresses! What took you guys so long?"

"Normal human speed…" grunted Link, following Mario into the next area. They knew Huff n. Puff would be around there somewhere, so they began to look. Sonic was now fully awake and ran ahead, jumping on all the cloud platforms. Samus made a face at his speed, but focused on not falling off. By the time everyone had reached Sonic, the blue hedgehog had tripped over a large brown thing…only to discover it was Huff N. Puff.

"Are you a man named Mario? And did you or did you not break one Puff Puff Machine?" it roared.

"YES! IT'S ALL TRUE SIR!" Goombario cried. Link shoved some cloud in his mouth. The cloud they were on shook with Huff's words.

"What possessed you to do that? You completely ruined my plans to cover Flower Fields in clouds!"

"That was _our_ plan!" smirked Sonic.

"You see, I was going to turn this sun-blasted place into a cloud-covered paradise. But I can't expect a man of your intellect to understand…" Mario scowled at the words. "I must tell you, King Bowser ordered me to defeat you if you showed you face…but I'd take you down even if it weren't a direct order! You cloud-destroying pests! You can't save the Star Spirit! Gahh ha ha ha ha hah! Here comes the storm!!!!"

With a giant explosion, Huff N. Puff blew everyone a little distance away, and cackled before the fight began.

"Holy Crow! 60 HP…nothing we can't handle!" Sonic assured.

"Nothing but a few rounds of whatever this guy has up his sleeve…" Samus huffed.

"Let's cloud this guy from his intentions…heh…" Link joked. Everyone groaned.

Mario adjusted his hat before making his first move. He decided to save his star power for later, and simply jumped on Huff. Parakarry performed Shell Shot. Stopping to look, a few Tuff Puffs had formed.

"What the heck…"

"He can swallow them and gain HP! Every time you attack, more Tuff Puffs appear!" shouted Goombario.

"This'll be fun…"

The Tuff Puffs asked for permission to attack, and then surrounded Mario. Mario fought them all off with him losing 2 HP. Huff then breathed in, and sucked in the Tuff Puffs. He regained 4 HP, making everyone groan.

"Looks like we need a different strategy…" Link observed while jabbing. A whole mess of Tuff Puffs appeared, but were taken care of when Bombette used Mega Bomb. Huff sucked in a whole mess of air, and aimed it all at Link. Link held up his shield to fend it off, but eventually the force became too much and had two taken away. Bow wanted to go first, but Kirby decided that wasn't such a good idea. He whipped out his cutter and cut away. Bow added on to the Tuff Puffs with her Fan Smack. The many Tuff Puffs surrounded Kirby and gave him hit after hit. Finally, after taking an unfortunate six, Kirby emerged out of the cloud pile. Huff gulped all the Puffs down and received 10 HP again.

"This guy is impossible!" Kirby cried.

Samus checked her FP, and charged up a missile. Lakilester helped with his Spiny Surge, taking out all the Puffs Samus made. Huff couldn't up his HP, so he smashed down on Samus instead.

"Finally! My turn!" Sonic sighed. "SONIC WIND!"

The move did a number on Huff, and Sushie's Tidal Wave -on account of Kooper had accidentally fell through the cloud and Parakarry flew to save him- took out the Puffs and HP from Huff. Huff was mad. He couldn't win. His Puffs were being swept away so he had no method of replenishing. Sonic sent a smirk in his direction.

"You asked for it…now you'll witness the full power of my storm!" Huff growled.

"Master Huff N. Puff! Leave him to me!" a remaining Puff begged.

The Puff floated over to Sonic, but didn't even get a chance to attack. Sonic's fast fist pounded into the Puff's face, defeating it. He gave a "Too Easy!" look until Huff N. Puff started turning red and sparking with electricity.

"You've done it now Sonic!" Sushie tisked.

"Shup!"

Luckily, Huff didn't attack, but continued to gather power. Mario gave himself some syrup while Parakarry added a Mushroom to his health-after returning with Kooper. Huff became even redder, and the skies turned a pitch black. He unleashed a sudden shockwave of lightning, hurting everyone.

"Didn't see that coming…" moaned Sonic. The attack did 12 to everyone.

"That was a bit of a shock…" Link guffawed.

"Not now Link!"

Link made a face and tried to use jab again, but it only did half damage. Bombette sighed and drank some Maple syrup. The Puffs attacked Link, but Link killed three with a defensive sword slash. Huff swallowed the last one to gain an extra HP, not that it helped very much now that he was down to 4. Samus snickered and let Lakilester finish Huff off with his Spiny Flip. Huff…huffed, and puffed, and exploded himself to pieces.

"Way past cool! We leveled up again!"

"Already?"

"All of us? Nice!"

"We must have evened out!"

Mario took FP, Link and Kirby chose HP, Samus wanted FP, and Sonic settled with HP. Link and Sonic knuckled touched, Samus gave Lakilester a high five, and Kirby hugged Bow. Bow told Kirby not in public and he backed off. Mario watched from the sides and sighed. Watt asked if he was okay and he nodded. Before he could change his mind, the usual white magic orb appeared out of Huff's explosion and Mario waited for it to turn into a card. When it did, everyone gathered to witness Star Spirit Klevar.

* * *

**I wonder if I made to boss to easy. *shrug* oh well. And the only reason Kooper fell through the cloud was because I forgot to edit the chapter so he was in the battle instead of Sushie. -_- Sorry...**


	49. Ratgirl and the Last Escape

**I love this chapter...**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 48: Ratgirl and the Last Escape

_Back, once again, at Peach/Bower's castle, Peach comes up with an ingenious idea. Zelda and a now recovered Amy see her excited and walk over to hear what she tells Twink._

"Hey…Twink…You know the Sneaky Parasol I got on that quiz show?" Peach asked.

"Don't forget about my Hidey Mask!" Zelda added.

"We can change into someone else when we use them, right?" Peach continued, now addressing Zelda too.

"Yes, get on with it!" Amy urged.

"So don't you think we can use them to get out of here?"

Zelda and Amy exchanged faces. "It took us_ that_ long to figure that out?"

"So much for Tri-force of Wisdom…"

"Us? I thought of it!"

"Yeah…I bet you can! Why don't you try it out?" responded Twink.

Amy waved her hands frantically. "What about me? I didn't win any disguise headband or something! How do I get out?!"

Twink pondered this for a brief moment and flew over to the lamp. He pulled off the lampshade, stretched it out, and pulled it over Amy's head. Zelda groaned.

"Are you serious? Do you really think that will work!?! She looks like freakin' Ratman with those ears of hers sticking up!"

Twink waved his hand to calm her down. "If something goes wrong, the worst that'll happen is we'll get kicked back to the room and we find a new costume. And since you brought up Ratman…"

Twink hovered over to the bed and yanked off a sheet. He had Peach cut off a section and used the rest to make Amy a cape. It draped over her dress, removing all traces of Amy except her boots. Zelda rolled her eyes while Peach's grew.

"Now for your boots…" Twink pondered. He scanned the room and found the curtains. Yanking them down, he ripped off parts of each and stuffed them in Amy's boots, enough to stay in, but leaving some to cover the color. "Presenting…Ratgirl!"

Amy made a face under her mask. "I feel like a manila colored ghost…"

"Plus you look rather…stupid, I'm afraid…" Peach let out while holding back a laugh. Zelda shook her head.

"Oh well, it's all we got…let's not waste anymore time here…"

Amy nodded and went to go push the button, but ran into a wall. Zelda and Peach glared at Twink who sweat dropped.

"Something is going to go wrong, I can feel it!" Zelda grunted while hitting the button. Peach trotted over to help Amy get to the passage without crashing into something else.

* * *

Once they were out of the room, Peach quietly snuck up on a Koopatrol talking to another. She flashed out her Parasol and she transformed into one! Zelda turned into Sheik, tossed her mask like a boomerang around the Koopatrols, and it landed on her face, making her one too. Amy folded her arms angrily under her sheet/cape.

"That's not fair…" she muttered a little too loudly. One of the Koopatrols turned around. He started talking to Peach.

"Hey. How goes it?" he asked.

"Uh, fine?" Peach said in a completely obvious gruff voice.

"Phew…they've been working me like a dog lately…" he went to turn back to his friend while the girls left, but then noticed Ratgirl. He gasped. The girls froze in place.

"Look Fred! It's _Ratman_!" he pointed out.

"Huh?" Amy wondered in her girly voice. She covered her mouth while Peach and Zelda mentally slapped themselves. The Koopatrol gaped again.

"Oh, my apologies Ratgirl! It's so hard to tell you and Ratman apart…but this is even **better**! Will you go out with me?"

Amy put her foot down. "No way! I'm after So-" Zelda moved her finger across her throat in the darkness. "I mean, Ratman, of course! He's so…perfect, his smile, just…the way he _is_ is amazing!"

"Oh, I thought so. Hey, what are you doing here anyway?"

"Um…helping King Bowser, of course! That's what I do…in the shows…"

"Right. I suppose you're leaving now. I won't forget this!"

Amy waved good-bye and Fred had to keep his pal from fainting. Zelda scolded her for nearly blowing their cover. Amy blamed it on the fan boy. Peach shook her head and climbed the stairs to the Star Door a Koopatrol was guarding. He let them pass, and gazed at "Ratgirl" when she glided by. The girls wandered unsuspiciously past some patrolling guards that took note in Amy's disguise. At the other end of the hall, Peach was hoping to get through, but the Koopatrol at the door wanted to take his break, gave the girls the key to the entrance, and sent them to go find a Clubba that would take his place. Peach decided they had no other choice, and went to run the errand. When Amy turned to follow, the guard recognized her.

"Oh! Ratgirl! I can't believe you're here! I have all your comics, all the DVDs of your shows and movies…I** loved** the one where you took down the Kidder in the Ratmobile! Oh…yeah…"

"I'm glad you liked it!" Amy chuckled a bit nervously.

"You're really awesome for a girl…you want to get some dinner?"

"NO! I am going after _Sonic_!" she said. She covered her mouth again while the Koopatrol shrieked. Zelda and Peach silently groaned.

"Sonic…the hedgehog? Hmm…aw well. It's better when in episode 271 where you and Ratman got married…but hey! That was only acting!"

"Exactly! Now…uh, duty calls! We'll get you that key for sure!" Amy finished while darting away. The Koopatrol sighed.

"Sweet! An actual super hero is helping me!" he cried out. "Hm…that Sonic must be a pretty good catch if Ratgirl likes him…but now that I think about, that one pink hedgehog Bowser locked up does too… Nope! Not connected at all!"

* * *

Back in the Lobby, Zelda violently snapped at Twink.

"I only said that she _happened_ to look like Ratman! That didn't mean for you to turn Amy into Ratgirl so she could run into geeks that wanted to date a **fictional character**!"

"What's wrong with you Hylians? Always shouting at an innocent little star…" Twink pouted. "Link has quite a temper too…"

Zelda recoiled, but still glared at Twink. Amy then ran out the doors and told them everything was fine. Peach hesitantly nodded and led her group to the bottom part of the area. They went through the main door down to the next level. Heading down the red-carpeted stairs, they unlocked the door at the end of the room. Zelda shielded Amy from all the patrollers so there would be no more disruptions. The moment they hit fresh air, they ran into a snoring Clubba. All three girls looked down over the edge and gulped.

"So much for our escape plan…" murmured Zelda as Peach took on the form of the Clubba.

"Well, if Mario survived, maybe we can!" Amy cheered, preparing to jump. Just before she stepped off, Zelda grabbed her and yanked her backwards.

"Are you asking for a death wish?! Do you think you can fly down?!"

"Actually-"

"Maybe we can find a way out if we get past that one guard," Peach suggested quickly when they were safe back inside.

"I hope I don't have to sign another autograph! I'm out of paper!" exclaimed Amy.

"Keep it down! We don't want our voices letting the cat out of the bag!" Zelda warned. Peach and Amy giggled.

"Cat out of the bag-"

"QUIET!"

Peach pretended to look offended as she stomped off to the guard back in the high room. Just by standing there, the Koopatrol said "Have a good shift!" and left on the spot.

"That was easy!" Peach giggled.

"Don't get confident yet! We don't know what's behind the door," Zelda input.

"Nothing is a problem for… Dah na nuh na nuh naha nah…_Ratgirl_! Ratgirl!" Amy sang.

Zelda and Peach sweat dropped as Amy swooped into the next area. Honing her hidden Rat skills, she sensed another presence in the room. Zelda told her to come on as they passed the broken window from so long ago. Amy felt the ground where Sonic had once been. It made her more hopeful. When she stood up, the moon cast her shadow on the wall, the shadow of Ratgirl.

"I won't worry anymore Sonic…I know you can save us…" Amy whispered. Her cape made a swish noise as she ran after the Clubba and Koopatrol. Ratgirl followed her sidekicks down the hall and into a room with a staircase going to the top of the castle.

"Heavens Peach! Why don't you make the caste a little **bigger**?" huffed the Koopatrol.

"This was my mom's castle, so watch your mouth!" the Clubba hissed back.

"I feel like we're celebrating Halloween and we're Trick or Treating in an Apartment…" mumbled Twink.

"Shup Twink! We're going in another room!"

"So?"

"Don't make me use my Ratbelt on you! There might be someone in there! I can feel a presence!"

"Lord have mercy…"

"Shush Zelda!"

Peach slammed her club on the ground to get everyone to shut their pieholes. When she opened the door, everyone sweat dropped when it was a bridge to the other side of the castle.

"Oh yeah Amy! I can totally see your person- it's that Koopatrol over there!"

"No need for sarcasm, ZELDA!"

"HUSH! He can hear us…"

"Nuh-uh! I'M RatGIRL!"

"_Ratgirl_, go fly over to the other door!"

"Okay!"

Defying the laws of physics, the wind suddenly blew into Amy's cape, making her fly over to the other side. She landed on the roof as Kammy Koopa exited the door underneath her. The other girls were more worried about Ratgirl than the old hag that was bound to chew them out.

"Okay, okay…everything's finally ready! Even if Mario shows up with all the Star Spirits we'll be all right! It pays to expect the worse!" Kammy announced to Bowser's followers that had gathered.

"Absolutely! Affirmative! You're absolutely right Kammy Koopa!" one Koopatrol called out (which happened to be Zelda). Kammy nodded and continued to walk to the other side until she got a whiff of something.

"Mm! you there!" she pointed at Peach. Zelda hid behind her, Twink ducked under the roof, and Ratgirl got into a pouncing stance. "…you're doing a fine job!"

They stopped holding their breath, only for it to be held again when Kammy realized something. She whirled around in a flash, making Amy scowl under her lampshade mask. Kammy looked at Zelda who came out of her hiding place. "Keep up the good…wait…Something's weird about you two…you smell…too nice…"

What kind of freak can sniff out if you're nice or not?

Kammy cried out, summoning a spell, and zapped Peach and Zelda back to normal.

"Oh no!" gasped Peach.

"You…why you little…Princess Peach…and friend! Unbelievable! Out again!!" Kammy cried. "Guards! All of you! Catch these little runaways and take them back to their room!"

Every guard on the scene hoisted the two princesses into the air.

"To the Ratcave! Let's go!" Amy shouted. The winds roared up again, and she flew right into Kammy Koopa. Kammy fell off the roof, frantically trying to summon her broom. Amy laughed a Ratgirl laugh and soared higher into the sky. She had done well, even though she had no idea what caused her to ram into the witch. By the time Kammy flew back up, Amy was gone, along with Princess Peach and Zelda, and the memory of their final escape.

* * *

**Lol... ah, and there concludes Chapter 6. Chapter 7 is a good one too (but aren't they all? ;) There's action, plenty of humor, mystery, and maybe a little more Kirbow that's even _bigger_ than last time! **

**Next time: The group heads into the sewers to locate the entrance to the cold north! **


	50. Sewer Rats

Paper Mario X

Chapter 49: Sewer Rats

"What a pleasure meeting you! My name is Klevar! Thank you for saving me," the Star Sprit explained back in Flower Fields. "Huff N. Puff is gone, so the flowers in Flower Fields can live peacefully once more. I feel that if you hadn't come, Flower Fields would have never seen the light again. Now there is only one of us Star Spirits still trapped. Just one more Mario!"

"Awesome!" squealed Kirby.

Klevar gave Mario more Star Power, and the new move, Time Out.

"Now you are able to use the power of six Star Spirits. If you use mine well, it should be extremely helpful in battle. Don't become overconfident though. You must be careful. Bowser has power as well. Remember that stronger enemies await you…I hope our powers may help you so you can help us…We're all depending on you!"

With those words, Klevar returned to his beloved Star Haven, and now the heroes had no clue to where they should've gone next. Wisterwood thanked Mario, and wished that he'd come visit again. Mario nodded and entered his "mouth" to go back to Toad Town.

* * *

"Okay. Now what do we do?" Samus asked. Twink hadn't returned in awhile, and the last time Peach escaped, she came up short on info. The heroes were without a trail. After some intense discussion, they all had where they were going. They decided to go see Merlon first, then check out the sewers for anything. With luck, the two tasks would be related.

"Oh! It's you! You came at such a good time!" Merlon gasped. "There's a guest waiting for you!"

He gestured toward the Ninji and Sonic cocked his head. The Ninji grinned.

"Nice to meet you! I come from Starborn Valley. Starborn Valley is in the Shiver region, a chilly place far to the north, at the very end of the north. Merle, who hails from there, said that he had something important to tell you Mario."

"Merle of Starborn Valley is my son, Mario…" Merlon added. "It seems he's calling for you. If he's searching for you, you can be sure something important is afoot. You must go to Starborn Valley! Do not delay!"

"Please hurry! I will run ahead and take tidings of you to Merle." Ninji quickly trotted out the door. Merlon continued to explain in the sewers was a pipe that led to Shiver City. Starborn Valley was located somewhere near there. Once that was out of the way, Merlon sent them off.

"Great. They were related!" cheered Kirby.

"Cool. Let's get going then," Sonic stated.

"Hey…where's Mario?" Samus wondered. Mario and the partners were gone.

* * *

They caught up with Mario a thousand pipes later to see the group pondering over a Super Block. Mario decided to let Lakilester become an Ultra Rank, only because Samus had a threat over his head.

"Now I feel like Goombario. When do I get to level up?" whined Kooper.

"You can level up next time!" Link decided. Sonic shook his head in disbelief as he retraced his steps up to a Spin Jump Pad. Mario hit it, and there were two ways to go: in some water, or through an archway. Sonic chose the archway with no questions asked. Mario shrugged, and went into a room where purple Goth Troopas were running around. The doorway was suddenly sealed by iron bars, and one Troopa went in to attack. Kirby wanted the first attack and started with his hammer. Bow followed with her Smack. The first died, but the second grinned evilly. Samus raised an eyebrow, and Power Punched. Lakilester used Spiny Flip. The Koopa still had a little HP left and used his dizzy attack. Mario was hit and suddenly got dizzy. Sonic glowered at the Dark Troopa as he slammed into it with his spinning form.

"Dang! We still have to fight that other one…" Kirby grunted while jumping over another oncoming shell. This time, there were three instead of two. Mario started with his quake hammer, and then Parakarry finished one off with a Sky Dive. The other two used their turn to stand up back up. Link continued with a sword slash. Bombette finished the last one off with her bomb.

"Why do you have to steal the spotlight?!?!" Kirby grunted.

"I didn't. I just went with the flow…" Link bragged.

A switch suddenly fell from the sky above Sonic and Sonic jumped out of the way just in time. Mario hit it with his hammer, making a pipe appear. Using natural instinct, Kirby jumped in with Bow, only to return a few moments later.

"Don't go down there. It leads all the way back to Bow's Mansion!" Kirby stated. "Which is awfully random…"

Mario bobbed his head up and down and led the group into the next room. On the other side was a Super Block, and after finding out where some invisible blocks were, they decided to give it to Kooper with Goombario going insane afterward. Another Ultra Ranker. The plumber went back to the room where they landed in, and told Sonic to bring Sushie forth. The hedgehog grumbled, but did so. Everyone else jumped onto Sushie as she carried them across. Once Sonic stepped eagerly on cement, a cry echoed throughout the underground.

"BLOOPER!"

"WHOA!" Sonic yelped while stumbling backward. A super blooper sighting has that effect on people.

"Now_ that_ is some sea food!" gaped Kirby.

Mario used his Power Jump first, followed up by a Shell Shot from Parakarry.

"My God! 70 HP?!" Goombario gawked.

"We bit off more than we could chew!" Link cried as Super Blooper attacked Mario. He nervously used his slash. Bombette waddled over and detonated. They were beating it good at this point. At least, until it hatched Blooper babies.

"Does that mean it's a girl?" Link asked himself while Kirby cut into its squishy skin. The aftermath wave forced the babies away. Blooper shrieked at the loss and looked them all dead in the face. It suddenly turned a fierce red, indicating it was furious. The gang cringed while it flashed. Samus helped with a missile; Lakilester ate some Maple Syrup. They prepared to defend the monster's attack, but instead it floated over to Sonic, dishing out seven then nine in the same move.

"Whoo…heh, he's pretty tough, ain't he?" Sonic wheezed. "…why did it attack me!?!?"

"Maybe it doesn't like you!" smirked Sushie from behind Kooper. Sonic threw a punch at her that barely missed her face.

"Wow. You need a good Super Shroom!" Bow noted, tossing said item to Sonic. It helped a little. Kirby grinned as Sonic plowed into it with a homing attack. His partner added to the pain with his shell. The Super Blooper was almost done for, but it still had some tricks up its tentacle. It created two more Blooper Babies, and Sonic was a bit afraid to wash them all away again. He shrugged and Mario used his Star Storm, making the babies die. Parakarry chugged some more Maple Syrup. Blooper continued its attack cycle by choosing this moment to get mad. Link knew it only had six left, so he performed one last Jab to get the job done before it could wipe out anyone.

"All right!" Sonic cheered. "Piece of cake!"

"Another switch!" pointed out Parakarry.

Mario saw it fall and rushed over to hit it. Another pipe appeared out of the ground, so it was ignored. Kirby led the team into the next area to see what was coming up. A can and a bottle were bobbing in the water, spikes were lined on an unreachable floor, and another Dark Koopa Troopa patrolled the area. When it struck, it was accompanied by two Spinies. The group took them out easily. Continuing, they passed another Goth Koopa, ventured to the next room, went into yet another room, jumped down a pipe, and reached a dead end.

"Oh great…now we're stuck!" Sonic complained.

"Not to mention lost…" added Watt.

"No problem. Bombette?" Link asked. Bombette nodded and set her fuse alight. Her explosion revealed a new room in the wall. Mario happily guided his gang through. On the other side was a man standing next to a table and chair. Bow recoiled at the sight, smell, and sound of the man. He looked like he was in the sewers his whole life. Mario asked for a moment of his time.

"Well well! Looky here. Hello, hello, hello! Rip Cheato at your service!"

"Rip Cheato?!?"

"Cheeto…I love those!"

Rip continued to explain that he had something for sale for 64 coins. Mario checked his pockets, and pulled out the correct amount. He received a Star Piece. Rip cheered, and said that he had another item for 64 coins, but the offer was only good for that moment. Mario warily slid another 64 coins over and obtained a Life Shroom.

"Life Shroom!" cried Link and Kirby.

Rip then stated that once again he had another item for 64 coins, but only available right then. Everyone knew this wouldn't end. Mario shook his head though and continued through the room. On the other side as a pipe that led to a cramped room filled with boxes. Everyone groaned at the lack of room, their minds briefly flashing back to some train incidents. Sushie managed to swim through the group and locate a key in the corner. She threw it to Mario, hit Link in the head, it fell to the floor, Samus slipped on it, and it flew right into the lock and turned.

"Wow. I have skill!" exclaimed Samus.

Everyone pushed out of the room, only to discover they ended up back in Toad Town. Moans were passed around while they reentered the house they exited out of. They backtracked to the area before the one where they were stuck and used Watt to reveal some more hidden blocks. Mario, Link, Samus and Sonic helped by hitting the blocks as Kirby kept Watt turned on. They soon found out it was too high for them to jump.

"Hmm…go back a room. I have an idea…" Samus ordered. Mario wondered what she was up to but went back to the part with the spiked floor. Samus used Lakilester to hover across and reached a pipe on the other side. Lakilester helped everyone else get over and followed Samus into a deeper part of the sewers. Once they figured out the room and took down some Spinies, Mario smashed a cement block to pieces. It was guarding a doorway. A Dark Troopa was cackling as it paced the floor.

"Okay, Kooper, your kind officially freaks me out! I have never seen a turtle walk back and forth with an evil smirk before!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Just ignore them! They aren't worth it…" Bow grunted while fanning herself. Sonic rolled his eyes while speeding past all the bad guys in the room to a part with a metal block. Mario caught up to hit it, and entered the hole they found. Link jumped to knock a spring off a Block, they all bounced on it, jumped off the other side of the wall, and Mario opened a chest with…the Ultra Boots!! Sonic joined him and pulled out some Ultra Shoes!

"Ah! Beautiful!" Sonic bragged after slipping them on his feet. They seemed to have their own little shine.

"Sonic…they're the same as before…" Kirby sweat dropped.

"Are you kidding!?!? The buckle is made of pure gold, the stitching is tightly sewn, the soles are extremely friction proof and can withstand tougher terrain, I can use my new Break Dancing Kick move, and they're _shinier_!!!"

"Only a shoe-nerd would know that…" Samus smirked. Sonic glared.

"Either way, they are still stronger than my old ones, even if you think they are the same!"

"Which they are-"

"NO THEY'RE **NOT**!!"

Mario sighed as whacked his hammer against the wall. Sonic folded his arms and tapped his foot. Samus, Link, and Kirby tisked while Mario used his new Tornado Jump (aka Spring Jump) to knock another spring off a block to get back over the wall.

"I think Mario can hit those blocks in the other room now!" Goombario cried.

"Wow! You're so smart!!" Link faked. Goombario sulked. Their plumber leader led them back to previously said room, where Kirby held Watt as Mario Tornado Jumped under the hidden cubes. Now with a path to reach the blue door on the opposite ledge, they could get across.

"C'mon!" Sonic called, eager to test his new shoes. He dashed over the blocks so fast it was as if he ran in thin air. The rest quickly caught up afterward. Sonic was waiting for them. Everyone sent him a look as they jumped down the pipe into a frozen part of the sewers.

"Oh no…I feel some cool jokes coming on!" Link chuckled. Bombette laughed.

"Just chill and save it for the City…" Sonic retorted.

"Good one!"

"Brr…even I'm cold!!" Samus grumbled.

Bow was trying to warm up her hands by blowing her breath onto them. Kirby saw her shivering so he gladly placed his hands on her to help heat them up. If she weren't so cold, Bow would have blushed. The contact quickly warmed her up as Mario found yet another Super Block. Watt, and Goombario were left, so he quickly grabbed the young spark and sent her to Ultra Rank. Goombario's tears were frozen.

Bow seemed to get colder. "Maybe I s-s-s-houldn't g-g-o to S-Sh-Shiver C-C-ity…" she stuttered. Kirby wrapped his short stubby arms around her.

"Don't worry! I'll keep you warm!"

"I know, but you can't d-d-do that all the t-t-time!"

"I'll do whatever it takes!"

"I'll catch something!

"The only thing you'll catch is a Star Spirit with the rest of us. They'll probably have a scarf or something to match your crystal bows!"

Bow tried to smile, but her teeth were chattering too much. Kirby grinned back and continued to hold her hands. He helped her followed the rest of the team into a pipe frozen to the wall, the one that led to Shiver City, and that final Star Spirit.

* * *

**Next time: Pah, you know what happens...Mario is charged with murder!**


	51. Murder, He Comitted?

**Whoa! I just counted, and we have _15_ chapters left! Time goes by when you're reading PMX huh? **

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 50: Murder, He Committed?

_It was a cute little village, cottages were covered with snow and Bumpities roamed about. I'll just call them penguins. Snow softly fell from the sky and onto the faces of the heroes. It made Bow shiver. She was used to a more mild condition. However, with Kirby at her side, she could only laugh as he caught one on his tongue._

A shop was the first thing Link noticed, but all his coins were gone, and Mario didn't want to lend him anymore. He glanced down at the ground to see Bombette's fuse slick with ice, so he dragged her to the Toad House. Kirby saw him and led Bow to the hut too. After a brief nap in a warm and toasty bed, and some hot cocoa, the girls were ready to get back in action.

"You wouldn't be useful if you braid was frozen, now would it?" Link asked Bombette.

"Of course not, unless I tried really hard to light it!" Bombette replied.

When they caught up with everyone else, Mario, Sonic, and Samus were talking to the city guard.

"I'm the city guard around here. I'm investigating a report of a suspicious character wandering around the city. You…you're not him, are you?" the guard stated.

"Suspicion! This sounds like a mystery!" Kirby announced. Then in a complete different trail of thought, he took the hat off the green penguin's head and placed it on Bow. "Is that warm?"

"Yeah, but it's so out of style!"

"Are you kidding!!?"

"No! I can't wear this! It's like, last Fall!"

Kirby grumbled and placed the hat back on the guard's head.

"If there's someone wandering around, we'd better keep a lookout," decided Sonic. Everyone agreed.

"But…what if we are the suspicious characters? " Kirby wondered. Sushie pointed out that under the ice of a frozen pond was a key to something. Samus wrote this down for future reference. Two Bumpities were skating along the ice, completely oblivious. Mario kicked the ice, and then pounded into it. Suddenly, there was a sickening crack.

"Gah! We're on thin ice with this!" Link gasped, not in a joke. The city guard heard the crack and stormed over.

"What are you doing? Stop that! Have you lost your wits? What if the ice breaks?"

"I think that's the point…"

The guard ran off, only to come back when Mario repeated what he did.

"No! Are you a complete idiot! I told you not to do that! It's really dangerous!"

Everyone stared at him. Why didn't he want them to crack the ice and get the key?

"Listen man, maybe we should break the ice-" Link started, but the guard didn't get his joke and stomped on his foot. He then dragged Mario by the overalls back to the snow.

"Wow, pushy!" grunted Samus.

"More like Pull-y!" Kirby laughed.

Mario gaped as the penguin continued to yell at him. "Don't you ever listen? You're a public nuisance! Take a hike!" Next thing Mario knew, he was literally kicked out of the area.

"The nerve of some people!" Link gawked.

"It makes you think…that was pretty odd…" Bombette noted.

"That guy is a suspect…" Kirby agreed while blowing on a pipe with a detective's hat on. Bow swatted it off and pulled the pipe out of his mouth.

"Mario is innocent! No matter what!" Goombario shouted. Mario returned grumpily and trotted past the pond to a gateway. A penguin wouldn't let him by. Mario became red as his hat with the frustration building up.

"We're on an alert because a stranger appeared in the city. So I can't let you pass without permission from the Mayor," the penguin explained.

"No big deal, we'll find the mayor and get permission!"

Mario jumped in the air and headed west once again. At the very western spot as west as you could get, there was a big cottage where the Mayor's Wife gasped when the company arrived. She explained that her husband was in the next room, if they wanted to see him. Mario nodded and pushed open the door. In the next room, an elderly looking-penguin lie limp on the floor. Link poked him, but there was no reply…

"AUGH! HE'S _**DEAD**_!" Goombario screamed.

"Shut up! Do you want the wife to hear you?!?!"

"There's a something in his hand…" Samus picked up the paper in his hand. "Herringway…"

The magenta colored wife rushed into the room at that moment. Link, Kirby, Samus, Sonic, and the partners were circling Mario poking at the apparently dead Mayor.

"Darlings would you like a cup of tea…" she was cut off by the sight of her husband. Guess that meant no tea…"Oh…Dear, you know you'll catch a cold if you sleep there!"

"I guess she doesn't know…" Sonic whispered to Link as they scooted away. Mario quickly tried to explain as she walked over. After a quick observation, she went nuts with a cliché moment of "NOOOOOOO!!!" She ran into the other room to call for help.

"Help! Somebody! Anybody! My husband is dead! He's been murdered!" she cried. Mario started to flip out with everyone else exchanging glances. "It's a penguin _murder mystery_!!" Mario tried to stay still while the rest of his group backed against the wall. They weren't going to be blamed for this. They heard someone enter the door.

"What's going on here, madam?" a tough voice asked. "Just calm down now. You need to speak slowly so I can get to the bottom of this."

The same green penguin guard strolled into the room with the wife at his side. Mario sweat dropped as his friends put up their hands.

"My husband is dead! Look at him lying there!" the wife moaned. "Oh, my darling husband! Somebody clipped his flippers!"

The guard raised an eyebrow and waddled over. Mario anxiously stepped out of the way. He leaned over to get a closer look. "By puffin, you're right! The mayor's been murdered! This is like a mystery novel! Except it's real! How tragic! But madam, if I may ask…who in this world would have reason to put this penguin on ice?"

Wife immediately pointed to Mario. "Him! Right there! That man with the suspicious mustache!" Mario covered his mustache. Goombario tugged on it to show it was real. "I told him not to come in the house, but he barged right in!"

The rest of the gang made noises. "She's lying! We were invited in!"

"My husband was alive right until this man showed up! He must be the murderer!"

GASP.

"Mario! I never!"

"Why!?!?"

"You're making us look bad!"

"He was with us the entire time!"

"Except the moment the_ very_ same green penguin kicked him out!"

"Hm…you're right! What **WAS** he up to…"

Mario's jaw dropped. Was his own team turning against him?

"Hey you…Mustache! Are you listening? This good woman's accusing you. What do you say for yourself?" Guard wondered. Mario shook his head rapidly. "Don't try to play ignorant with me, buddy. I'm a professional! We've got a witness here. Isn't that right, madam?"

"Yes! That's right! He did it in cold blood!" Madam agreed. "I, uh…saw it with my own eyes!"

"Now that right there is a definite lie! Who says uh?"

"No, she just entered the room!! How could she possibly know that?"

"Good point..."

"Besides, he's the only one who came into this room, except for his pals, but they followed him after the deed was probably done! It all adds up!" the Wife finished, trying to hide the fact that she really had no idea what she was talking about.

The gang let out their breath. Another question! Why was the mayor's wife lying so much? Guard sighed, and turned back to Mario.

"So you're sticking with your story, claiming you're not the culprit?"

Mario nodded violently. Goombario stood up for his hero.

"What's your problem? You don't think Mario actually did it, do you?" Mario gave him a silent "Thank you!" look.

"Hmm…If you're telling the truth, then we're dealing with a backroom murder case. Oh, I never trained for this…"

"Isn't THAT nice!"

"Quiet, Link!"

"A backroom murder case…a high-ranking penguin slain…How could such a horrible plot twist hit our city? You! Mr. Mustache! One more for the record! You swear you didn't do this?" Mario nodded even harder, if that was possible.

"Okay…I think I believe you. But this means we have to find the true murderer…"

After a brief bit of pondering…

"Ah! Perfect! I'll give you a chance. Since you claim that you're not the guilty party, then you must bring me the murderer yourself!"

"We can do that!" Samus scoffed.

"Uh…how?"

"Shush Kirby!"

If you do that, I'll believe you. It's the only way…all right, off with you. You haven't proved that you're innocent yet, so I must forbid you to leave the city."

"What! How are we supposed to find the punk if Mario's banned from leaving the city!? The culprit could've gotten away by now!" questioned Sonic. "I think you're a little off your rocker myself…"

* * *

On the way out, a penguin called Mario a penguin killer, and claimed he was the next victim. It was all Mario could do to prevent a strangle incident.

"Sniff…I can see it now! Super Hero Plumber goes Mad! Loyal Hero is on a killing Spree! What Went Wrong- Good Gone Bad?"

"Link! Do you really think Mario did it!?!?"

"Of course not! I'm just getting ready for when he's framed…"

Mario's face fell as he thought he was getting the cold shoulder… which lead him to remember the ice. The green guard penguin wasn't there to stop him, so why wait? He went deeper into the city. His group ran after him.

"No! Mario's gone…bad!" Kirby wailed.

"He did not!"

"How would _you_ know?"

"Um…"

Mario ignored the rants and rebroke the frozen ice. After the third crack, the ice suddenly exploded and Mario was blasted into the snow from the force. Sonic eyed the key under the freezing water.

"Yeah…**cold** water, me going **under**…not going to work…you use Sushie Mario!" Sonic muttered. Sushie moaned and hopped over. Mario jumped aboard, dove under, almost gasped at how cold it was, and snagged the key. Samus gladly took it from his shivering hands to unlock the suspicious warehouse just past the pond.

"Guys! In here!" she called. Her friends quickly followed.

"Sweet! A shovel!" Lakilester pointed out.

"A potential **murder** weapon!"

Everyone glanced at Link.

"Who's to say he was even murdered?"

"Well you can't be too careful..."

"What's up stairs?" Bombette asked, trying to get the gang's mind off of the murder.

Everyone climbed up the stairs to find a small cramped study room. Mario saw a spring and leaped onto it. He flew up to the chimney, and ended up sliding down the side of the roof. The rest peeked over the side.

"Where'd he go?"

"He's on that roof over there!"

"Mario's not Santa! Why is he going down the chimney?!?"

"Follow him!"

Kirby floated over, Link and Samus took a giant jump, and Sonic just ran down the side and ran up again.

"Whee!"

"Look out Mario!"

THUD.

"Cough…ugh; this guy needs a chimney sweep…"

"I'M **COVERED** WITH IT!"

"It'll come out, Bow…"

"Black isn't my color…"

"I don't know; it _really_ brings out Mario's eyes!"

"Literally!"

Mario blinked twice as an old looking penguin looked on. "What in the…Why are you in my fireplace? You found my secret room…"

"It wasn't a secret…" snickered Sonic.

"Through the chimney…"

"The spring was kind of obvious!"

"…ingenious."

Sonic rolled his eyes as everyone examined the room. It was covered with crumpled paper, paper with unreadable scrawl, and a few strange contraptions. This was awfully strange. Mario knew this and decided to get some more info.

"Me? I'm Herringway. The novelist-"

"GAH! That's the name on the paper!"

Link clamped his hand over Kirby's big mouth.

"Haven't you heard of me?"

"We've heard all right!" Sonic stated with his arms folded and a raised eyebrow.

Mario explained about the mayor's murder and how the paper found at the scene had his name on it.

"Whaaat?!? Mayor Penguin was murdered? And I'm the chief suspect?" Herringway gasped.

_"Besides us…"_ muttered Goombario. He met with a fist in the face.

"You must be joking! That's ridiculous! I did no such thing!" Everyone continued to stare at him. Mario took a moment to think. "You're very suspicious, huh?"

"Of course!" Link input.

"Well, I suppose I would be too. It appears as though I should drop in at the Mayor's house."

The suspicion carried on as Herringway ran over to the fireplace and said, "Engage Stairs!" As the floor suddenly sank to form steps, Herringway motioned for Mario and co. to follow. Mario was eager to get his name cleared and did so instantly. The rest were skeptical…

"Cool! Stair powers..."

"Don't trust anyone…" muttered Samus.

"Man! I hate all this mystery! Why can't it just be straight forward?" Sonic complained.

"Maybe it'll all clear out after Herringway talks to them!" Link suggested. He trampled down the steps with his friends at his heels.

* * *

At the mayor's house, Mario and Herringway were waiting for everyone else to catch up. Herringway anxiously entered the back room with Mario at his side.

"This should be good…" exclaimed Kooper.

"Oh. You again. Have you come up with anything?" Guard asked. Mario motioned over to Herringway. Guard recognized him as the novel writer in the city. The plumber explained all about how he was related to this mystery.

"What-what! Mayor Penguin was clutching a piece of paper with "Herringway" on it? Bah! If that were true, I most certainly would have noticed it!"

"Then check again, smarty!" Link grunted.

Guard grumbled something nasty and took a closer look. "Hmm…he definitely appears to be holding a piece of paper. Yes, of course! It's a message about his death! With his last breath, the Mayor told us his murder's identity!"

"That's bold!"

"That's clever!"

"That's…scary!"

Everyone turned to the novelist. "So…Mr. Herringway…you cold-hearted murderer! It all makes sense now! No wonder your novels are so exciting and suspenseful!! You live out your own plots!"

GASP.

Bah, bum bah!

"That's genius! What better way for inspiration than actually experiencing it!" Link declared.

"Dear man…do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? You actually think I would do this to the Mayor?" Herringway smoothly wondered. "He's a great friend of mine!"

"Hmm…yes, yes you WERE good friends…Ah ha! But that was just a cover so no one would suspect you of this heinous crime!" the green penguin concluded. "That's it, isn't it? I've solved this crafty mystery!"

Herringway wasn't done. "Oh come on. You simple, simple penguin. I would never be so predictable. Besides, I'm completely innocent. I've been working in my house on my new novel for weeks! I didn't have the time to sneak over here to kill Mayor Penguin."

"ARGH! If Mario and Herringway didn't do this, then who DID?" Kirby groaned.

"I'd just like to say that I still think the man with the mustache is the murderer," the wife added.

"She lies!" Link pointed out.

The city guard was becoming overwhelmed. "Hmm…this penguin murder mystery is getting more intriguing all the time…"

_Everyone_ sighed. What was the point of arguing if there was no proof? Suddenly, the mayor began to twitch. The entire room seemed to center around him.

"Uhh…" he moaned. He then jumped to his feet as if he was never "dead" in the first place. "Oh, my aching…ouch."

The wave of surprise washed across the room as the mayor's wife suddenly sprang up with a shriek.

"Eekkk! My husband's returned! He's a ghost! Eeekkk!!"

"Oh, good gracious! Hello, everyone!" the mayor chirped. "What's going on here?"

"WE THOUGHT YOU DIED!" cried Kirby.

"What-what? Mayor! We thought you were dead!" Guard exclaimed.

"I just said that!"

"Our backroom murder mystery is a wash! What a plot twist!"

Mayor Penguin's expression changed. "Huh? What are you talking about?…um…I think…I seem to remember going to the shelf to get this souvenir for Herringway. Oh, yes, of course! I reached up, slipped, and whacked my head on the floor! Yes, that's what happened!"

He waddled over to a big blue package with a yellow-orange bow. He scooped it up and handed it to the writer. Herringway took his gift from Toad Town, and thanked his old friend.

"But Mayor! Here we were thinking that you'd been murdered! The whole city was outraged! Next time be more careful!" Guard gaped. He angrily stormed out of the house.

"So sorry," Mayor said.

"Ha ha! I thought it was rather entertaining actually," Herringway admitted. "Besides, everything's okay now. The mayor's fine. I must return to my home now. I believe I've just had a sequel to my new novel."

The cadet blue penguin left with his package, leaving Mario, his gang, the wife, and the mayor in the room.

"Umm…I have the best intentions, but for some reason I always end up causing a ruckus," mumbled the mayor. He apologized for everything, and focused on Mario. "…what's the matter? Oh, you want to hike over to Starborn Valley, do you?"

"Whoa! I forgot all about that!" Samus remembered.

"My mind was fogged up with the mystery," Sonic said.

"I see…of course. I'll tell the gatekeeper to let you out of the city. You'd better bundle up!"

"Nice…" growled Bow, already shaking from the thought. At least Kirby would always be there to hold her hand.

* * *

**Hooray! Mario's innocent...I can't wait until they reach the Palace-totally awesome (I'm just afraid it might get a bit confusing with all those rooms...)**


	52. When it Gets Cold Outside

**What the heck is wrong with the site? Am I the only one with the bad luck, or is it everybody? My profile was wiped clean, and I hadn't even _touched_ it!!! Now it's really short...**

**Ahem. On another note, only 5 reviews away from 150!!! Yeah!! Let's pull this off, okay? :D**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 51: When It Gets Cold Outside…

Past the gate that separated the city from the valley, Mario, Link, Kirby, Samus, Sonic, and their respective partners were battling off the cold and snow. The path they were on was straight forward, until that one voice echoed throughout the trees and snow banks.

"Hey hey hey hey hey!" Everyone groaned very loudly as Jr. Troopa jumped onto the scene.

"Oh wow! Is it time to kick Jr.'s butt again?" Link asked, looking at a watch.

"Brrrrrrwah! Ha ha! Brrr…I've been waiting for you! Mariooooo! I've been here forever! I was getting desperate! I thought I was going to freeze."

"If only that were true…"

"This place is freezing, and cold, and nasty, and icy! I hate it! I can't take it anymore!"

"Then quit stalking us, maybe?" Bombette growled.

"I've gotta get out of here! I'm going to beat you in record time and head back to some place warm. You ready, ice-boy? Let's do this!"

Jr. charged at Mario as everyone got into fighting stances.

"Oh, I've been busy Mario! I've got cool new techniques!" Jr. bragged. "Check this out! AHA HAHHH!"

"Ha! That was pretty ICE!" Link chuckled.

Jr. summoned a magic staff, or a wand or something.

"Yeah, I've been taking a magic course on the side. And now you're going to be my final exam! Yeah! I've gotta win this time!"

"Looks like we have to school you again!" Sonic snickered, high-fiving Link.

"He needs another lesson!" Kirby added.

"Mario thinks he needs to Chill Out!" Samus said, gesturing over to Mario lowering Jr.'s attack power with Chill Out. How convenient! Parakarry performed his Sky Dive.

"Mario! You like magic tricks? You won't like this one!" Jr. teased. He created a ball of magic and blasted it at his rival. With the lowered attack and Mario defending, it only did two. Jr. still claimed it felt fantastic. Link guffawed, jabbed at him, missed his command, and sent Bombette to do some explosive damage. Jr. grunted and sent another weak blast at Link. Kirby couldn't help but laugh while whacking him across the face with his hammer. Bow smirked as she did the same thing with her fan. Jr. summoned more weak magic, getting frustrated by his failure.

"Don't worry! I'll give you a grade A- a grade A beating!" Samus mocked. She launched a deadly missile his way, making him spin with pain.

"If you've played volleyball, then you'll know how to _spike_!" Lakilester tried to be cool while throwing a spiny at his head.

"…"

"That was lame…"

"I'm **embarrassed** now!"

"Volleyball? What does that…"

"Sorry Lester, not cool," Samus sighed.

"I'm getting better!"

"Work harder."

Samus didn't even feel anything when Jr. attacked again. He stomped his foot in fury until Sonic bashed into his cracked egg.

"I guess you got an L- L for loser!" dissed Sonic.

"Or an F for failure!" added Link.

"Or a U for…uh, under the influence?"

"Nice try Kirby."

Jr. fainted from his bruising onto the cold ground. He didn't care. It made him numb. Everyone gave him one last hit to make him really uncomfortable. Mario told them to stop and continued the expedition. In the next frosty area, a few snowmen were line up, but two were missing a hat or a scarf. Parakarry found a letter in a tree after Link hacked at it to see if anything was up there. Kirby said they should keep going because maybe the missing things were in the next area. Mario took in his suggestion and continued east, or, well, north.

* * *

"Wow! Look at the purple sky!" gasped Bombette. The snow reflected on the luminescent purple sky, along with a few sliver rays raining down to complete the scene. The moment didn't last when a Frost Piranha gave Mario frostbite. As the plant snickered, the red-capped hero discovered it was joined by another Piranha and two Gulpits. Mario used Star Storm to drain seven out of them all, and Parakarry got rid of a Gulpit with Sky Dive. Both Frost piranhas took a snap at Mario while the remaining Gulpit spat a large rock at him. His HP was draining fast! Bombette glanced at everyone before performing her Power Bomb to get rid of the remaining pests. No one objected.

"It's too cold to fight anyway!" Bow said icily. Everyone was starting to worry. Her face seemed to be a light blue and she was shaking violently. Soft Kirby couldn't warm her up fast enough. Kooper hatched an idea. He told Kirby to set Bow down, and then he flung his shell while it was on fire.

"Holy! That's a good way to warm someone up!" Bow gasped as she shook up the sudden heat wave.

"If you ever get cold again, just let me know!" Kooper winked. "My Fire Shell doesn't just have to be for battle!"

"Of course! Wow…I feel great! Thank you, dear."

Kirby did everything in his power to keep from lashing out. Bow was only supposed to call _him_ dear! That was _his_nickname! He became warm while his face flustered. Bow was in a better mood now that she was all toasty, and Kirby stared blankly at Kooper. Naturally, he couldn't hold a grudge, but kept his eye on Kooper.

Parakarry found yet another letter behind a frozen chunk of ice. But after hearing a "Booooooaaahhhh!" he immediately joined Mario's side.

"AUGH! MONSTER GHOST THING!" wailed Goombario.

"Tuuurrrnnn baaaccckk! Cooome no farther!" it moaned. "Tuuurrrrnnn away, or I'll eaaaaatttt you!"

"No need to tell me twice!" screeched the goomba. He turned on his heels and went go back, but tripped on an icy step.

"What do you think? Scary monster aren't I? You know you want to run…"

Mario put his foot forward with a "bring it on" face.

"Pbth, 20 HP? We can take it!" scoffed Samus. She quickly fire two missiles before anyone could attack, followed by a Fire Shell from Kooper and Kirby quickly swallowing him shortly after.

"Sorry! I couldn't resist! It's a hot move!" Kooper chortled. Link and even Sonic had to chuckle at that one. As Lakilester glared at the Koopa, Monstar hit Samus but did little damage. Sonic shrugged and used Sonic Wind, and then Kooper finished up with Shell. Monstar suddenly dissolved into over a dozen Star Kids, and they flew away.

"You were scared of a few baby stars!" Link mocked Goombario.

Mario pointed forward to the now available path. It led to a small town or something with a man that looked like Merlon in the front. A few Star Kids floated here and there, reminding everyone of Twink. Mario knew the man was Merlon's son, so he ran over to him.

"Ah, you're Mario, yes? Thank you for coming. How do you do? I'm called Merle. I care for the Star Kids born here in Starborn Valley. I must tell many things you…but not here. Come. Let's go to my house. I cannot concentrate here in the cold."

"THANK YOU!" Bow cried immediately floating after the man. "Some place warm!"

As they followed Merle, he explained that the Star Kids are rude to strangers so they can scare off Bowser's followers. Mario said it was fine; he would have done the same thing…or not.

"Oh joy! They have a fireplace!" Bow shrieked, holding her fan out as she went to warm up. Kirby wanted to join her, but he was forced to listen to Merle rant.

"Now. Mario. You must heed well what I'm about to tell you. This frozen area is called Starborn Valley. It is named this because it is here that Stars are born and raised before rising to the sky."

"Obvious!"

"But now…ever since Bowser stole the Star Rod from Star Haven…the power of that place has weakened and Star Kids have found themselves unable to rise up into the sky. I sent a Ninji to my father, Merlon, hoping that I could coax you to come here…because I have found out where the last Star Spirit is."

Everyone went from lazy stances to leaning into hear all the details. "It came to me in a dream…a vision of the Last Star Spirit begging me for help. If my vision speaks truly, then the last Star Spirit is being held atop Shiver Mountain, which lies to the north. Up top sits the Crystal Palace. The Star Spirit waits there.

"ooh! A Crystal Palace!" Bombette sighed.

"Interesting indeed…although, it can't be prettier than my bows…" Bow chuckled, still by the fire.

_"Maybe Kirby can break down the walls for Bow to make her some sunglasses…"_ Link whispered to Sonic, and they both snickered. Kirby heard them and looked away, yet he still turned a shade of scarlet.

"The Crystal Palace was originally built to honor the stars…But as time passed, it slowly faded from the memories of local people…and now, no one can remember how to reach the palace…"

"That's perfect!"

"Joy."

"There is a way, though, and it involves items that have been passed down in these lands. Here. Take this."

Merle walked over to Mario and handed him a golden scarf. Bow quickly snagged it and draped it around her neck.

"This scarf had been passed down through many generations in Starborn Valley. I wish I knew how to use it, but I do not…"

"I think we do…" pondered Link.

"According to the legends…you must use this and another item passed down in Shiver City if you hope to open the way to Crystal Palace. Sadly, that's all I know." Merle hung his head and walked to the other side. "If things remain as they are, Star Kids will never be able to rise to Star Haven again. Such a fate would be awful. Please! Help them! And expel Bowser from the sky!"

Everyone answered with one big cheer, and dashed out the door. Kirby begged Bow to get away from the fire and follow them, but she didn't budge until Kooper promised to warm her up again. Kirby snorted that he could warm her up as Fire Kirby, but at least he got Bow out. Before they could leave the valley, Merle stopped them. He told them about a secret shrine on the path to Crystal Palace, and then added,

"Truth lies not only in eyes. Sometimes even walls may lie…" whatever that meant. Mario said they'd remember what he said and officially headed off. Bow instantly began to quiver, but Kirby held her close and kept her as warm as possible to keep Kooper from stepping in.

"Starborn V-Valley isn't as big as I th-thought…" Bow chattered.

"I know. I didn't expect it to be in such a cold place!" Bombette added.

"Well, we'd better get cozier, because this Shiver Mountain is even more north…and colder…" Link mumbled.

"Aw man!" moaned Kirby.

Back where the line of snowmen was, everyone wrestled the scarf off Bow and placed it on the snowman without it.

"Hey…I think the other hand-me-down item Merle was talking about is the hat for the other snowman," Sonic pondered.

"Then we have to go back to Shiver City to get it," Samus added.

Mario jumped in the air for a yes and made a U-turn. On the path back to the city, they found Jr. trapped in some ice. Link fell over from hysterics. Right where they left him, he was now encased in a frozen doom.

"I'm glad he learned to chill!" Link cackled.

"He sure played it cool…"

Everyone had a good laugh, and made their way back to Shiver. By the time they got there, a new question had sprung up.

"Where are we going to find a hat?"

Mario smacked his head and searched the city. They gave up and went to see if the Mayor knew anything…

* * *

…he said he did, and dug around in a cupboard. When he walked back to Mario, he handed him the awesome, amazing, incredible, sacred…ordinary bucket.

"Wow. I can't believe people bother to pass this down…" Samus muttered.

"C'mon. Back to the cold outside…" grumbled Kirby.

"This is probably the last snowman's hat!"

"Really? I would have never thought of that!"

"Shup Goombario!"

Back at the Snowman area once again, Mario had Link place the bucket on top of the final snowman's head. The snowman incredulously said thank-you, the snowman they gave the scarf too say thanks too, and then all the men of snow gave thanks.

"Gah! Who sang Frosty the Snowman?"

_"Frosty the Snowman…"_

"Quit singing Kirby!"

"As a reward for your kindness, we shall tell you our secret…"

"I'm scared…"

All of the snowmen suddenly bounced up and down, making everyone else launch into the air repeatedly. Eventually, they were all line up on the sides as if a door was in-between them. Speaking of, the icy wall behind them started to quake and a frozen door rose out of the snow. The doors widely opened, begging Mario and friends to enter…the snowman allowed them to pass with their thanks and blessings, and Mario continued his journey for the last Star Spirit.


	53. Copy Me This

Paper Mario X

Chapter 52: Copy Me This

"Oh my goodness! I can see my stinkin'** breath**!" screamed Bow.

"So? You're _supposed _to!"

"It means I'm freezing!"

Bow huddled into Kirby, but he wasn't warm enough. Kooper gladly warmed her up again.

"Ah…so warm!" Bow sighed. "I don't know why I get cold so often…"

"Probably because it's the way you are…" grunted Goombario. Kirby heard him and socked him into the wall. The boo held onto Kooper, since the heat radiated out of his shell. Kirby told himself it was for the best _many_ times, but he wasn't convinced. Mario ignored Kirby to figure out how to get across a gap. He tried to use Parakarry to fly over, but fell anyway. He noticed he was standing on ice.

"Mario! Break it!"

Mario saw a switch under the frozen water, broke the ice, hit the button, and a section of solid H2O suddenly arose to even out the floor. Link ran ahead, only to be nearly hit by a tongue of a Gulpit. He tossed Bombette down its throat, she exploded inside, and the Gulpit was history. Bombette was covered with goop.

"Ew! What gave you that idea?" Bombette shrieked.

"Uh…that's what I usually do if I have a bomb on hand- toss it into the enemy's stomach!"

"Well I'm not a _usual_ bomb! I actually have a life!"

"No joke there!"

After beating a few frost Piranhas and climbing up many blocks of ice for stairs, the gang reached the outside world once again. Mario had Kooper hit a switch on the other side of a gap, which wasn't too difficult…

"Easy!" Kooper bragged.

"Yeah! Simple!"

"…HUH?!"

The group turned around to see two Koopers instead of one. Questions marks flew, and one Kooper bounced back with a "Noooo!"

"What's wrong with my eyes? You look just like me!" the Kooper that jumped gasped.

"What did you do? Make a clone?!?" Kirby gawked.

"Impostor! Who are you really? Tell me your name!"

"I'm Kooper…yeah, that's it. The question is, who are you!" the other Kooper accused.

"Wha…wha…what!? That's impossible! I'm the one and only Kooper!"

"Well, except for the one over there…" Lakilester pointed out.

"You're talking crazy-talk now! You're making no sense! I'm the genuine Kooper! Really! C'mon Mario. You know me. This guy's a big liar."

"I'm not lying! Mario…you know I'm Kooper, don't you? Don't you recognize your buddy?"

Mario could've fainted.

"Aw man! How are we supposed to tell them apart?" Sonic snapped.

"Since when was Kooper a buddy?" snorted Kirby.

"Shut your mouth, goody-goody! I'm his buddy! Yeah…that's it!"

"Why you…you're the one that should shut his mouth! I'm his buddy!"

"You're both not buddies!" screamed Goombario.

"Listen Moron…er, Mario. You have to decide who's lying. It's the only way. Pick the one you think is lying and whack him really hard with the hammer."

"Fine! Yeah…I'm fine with that! If you think you can get away with a trick like that then fine! I know Mario knows who I am. I believe in you, Mario!"

Mario's head was spinning. He didn't know which was lying, so he had Kirby decide. Kirby knew which one was real, but he hit the real Kooper with his hammer for the heck of it.

"Ow! Unbelievable! You don't even recognize me?" Kooper sobbed.

The fake Kooper started to cheer. "Baaaa ha ha ha! You simpleton, Mario! I completely fooled you!"

"Whoops," Kirby smirked. Bow hit him in the back of the head. "Whoa! What'd I do?"

"You're going to cost us a valuable team member!"

"Oh I see…getting all defensive because he can warm you up eh?"

"WHAT!?"

"Mario should have given it to me…" hummed Sonic as the two suddenly exploded.

"Don't worry Kooper…it's only _Kirby_…"

"You deceitful monster. How dare you try and trick Mario!" Kooper shouted, still sad and in pain.

"What're you gonna do about it?" challenged the fake. Kooper's fists went nuts as he lunged at his copy. They were at each other's throats with Link and Kirby enjoying the scuffle. Samus bet it all on the fake while Sonic stated that Kooper would get a miracle. Mario was still in a daze. A gray dust cloud started to form with every punch and kick. Once Kooper had given the other a black eye, Mario twisted around and went to hit the other Kooper. But, after the Koopers had a debate, he turned back around and smacked the one in the front. The brawl made the Koopers swap spots apparently. Once the fake was hit, it transformed into a Duplighost. Everyone gasped.

"Yeeoow! What made you think I was the one lying huh? It must've been luck. No one has instincts that good!" the ghost snapped.

"Don't be such a crybaby. You lost!" Kooper boomed. "What were you thinking? Trying to trick Mario like that!"

"What? Shut up! I'll trick YOU!" growled the faker.

The heroes entered battle, only to discover that there were two copiers. Nevertheless, Mario began the battle with Power Jump. Parakarry Sky Dived into the other one. The first ghost slammed into Mario while the other transformed into Parakarry.

"You know that's not me, right!" Parakarry remarked. Mario nodded. Link raised an eyebrow while hacking into the still-normal Duplighost as Bombette finished it off with her Bomb. The Parakarry clone cackled before kicking Link in the head. The swordsman recoiled, grabbing his forehead. Kirby glared at the faker. He shouted a battle cry while slamming his hammer down on his face. Bow cleaned out the rest of its HP with a hearty smack. The villain ran away.

"Coward!" Kooper shouted into the wind. He stomped over an ice block that the switch made appear. He went ahead of everybody, only to return screaming like a girl.

"There's a white Clubba at the top of those steps!" he cried.

"Let's go take it down!"

"NO wait! I have an idea!"

Kooper ran ahead again, and turned up the heat. After spinning into the cold-hearted enemies, their HP was already down to four. Mario found a Fire Flower that finished them off.

"Wow! I love my Fire Shell!" Kooper cheered.

"How come Kooper's so big and important all of a sudden?" Samus noticed.

Sonic shrugged. Kooper was on a roll, why hold him back? The roll continued when they discovered another Super Block. Link frantically looked around for someone, but all that was left was...**Goombario**...

Goombario sighed. "All right. Let's do this the painless way...who hasn't leveled up yet?"

None of the partners raised their hands. Everyone suddenly snapped as to who's turn it _was_, and chaos broke loose.

"YES!!!! IT'S FINALLY MINE! NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW!!!" Goombario wailed, trying to jump toward it.

"NEVER!" screamed Link, tackling him to the ground. Goombario furiously twisted and tugged out of Link's extreme grip. Eventually he managed to pull himself out and continued the sprint for the block. He was almost there until he ran sraight into Kirby's mouth. Kirby looked triumphant, but then realized he would end up with Goombario's abilities and quickly spat him out.

"So gross...must keep going!" he panted, now only three steps away from the block. He was about to hit it, until a massive thud wsa heard in front of him a cylinder of cool metal was pointed in his direction. Goombario froze as he look up into the shadow Samus was making and shook violently. Samus grinned sadistically.

"Make one false move and be blasted to bits!" Samus cackled.

"She really does scare me sometimes..." Sonic quivered. Goombario quickly stepped forward and sprang into the air, just missing Samus' missile by the toe of his foot. samus knew there wouldn't be nough time to charge another one and just stared in horror. Everything went into slow motion and miraculous music started playing. He was almsot there...his head was about to hit it...and a blue blur suddenly crashed into him and sent him into the snow.

"Sorry! i don't really have anything against you, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity!" Sonic chuckled.

"Quick! Pick him up and drag him off! If he wakes up we'll tell him he got the block and we're idiots!" Link ordered. Samus proudly did the honors, still outraged that he managed to miss her missile. Mario, awestruck, didn't know what to say. He decided it was better that things be left unsaid and just kept pushing northward.

* * *

"What's that?" Bombette wondered, jumping at a Shooting Star in a rock. Link curiously pulled it out, making an ice wall nearly crushed the still unconsious Goombario with part of his tongue sticking out. Link quickly put it back in, and the wall disappeared.

"Never go for the obvious!" scolded Kirby who skipped in front of him. They passed a snowman doll and a thunder rage, but didn't bother picking them up.

A little ways further, the group discovered an ice pedestal with a star shape in it.

"Great. A dead end."

"Hey. Where there's a dead end, is a place where Bombette can blow up a wall!" Link stated. He scanned the area and found a hidden passage that led them downward. The space was empty, but on the far wall was a crack.

"Told you!" he mocked as Bombette burst.

"Into the hole!"

Sonic sprinted inside, only to lose his footing and slide into an Ice Pillar. Everyone laughed at him until he glowered back. Bow started to get cold again, so Kirby went into warm mode. He gripped her hands a little tighter than before, also rubbing them to get some friction heat. Bow's hands started to get less numb. At the same time, she simply enjoyed Kirby's hand in hers…

_"What am I thinking!?!"_ Bow thought to herself. Her thought were interrupted by Sonic.

"We've reached another dead end, and I don't see a crack anywhere…"

Mario thought long and hard, until he remembered what Merle said.

_"Truth lies not only in eyes. Sometimes even walls may lie…"_

He nodded to himself and suddenly jumped through the wall.

"Whoa…"

Everyone quickly followed him into the hidden room where the Star Stone was trapped in a diamond of ice. Kooper wanted to melt it, but the sheer beauty of the room was keeping him and the others from moving. After a few moments of intense staring, a woman suddenly appeared out of thin air. She had a light purple cloak covering most of her body, all fixed together with a Star shaped pin. She also had swirly white hair peek out of her hood and drape past her face.

"At long last…it is Mario!" she sighed. "I'm glad you found this place. I've been expecting you…hm hm hm ho ho…Do you find it strange that I know of you?"

Mario: Yeah, a little!

"My name is Madam Merlar. I am a messenger of the stars. You know Merlon and Merle well. I am their ancestor. The Stars spoke to me of you in my dreams…They said you would come to the shrine on Shiver Mountain. It is here that I guard the way to Crystal Palace…We have little time to waste, so listen carefully…"

"Ugh, why do these psychic people have to babble so much?" Sonic complained.

"You may not know this, but the followers of Bowser have invaded Crystal Palace where stars were honored. Now, what I have to tell you is very important. Listen to every word I say. I can't tell you the whole tale, in the interest of the time I'll be brief, but listen for the key points. The story begins a long long time ago…"

"Are you kidding? A long long time ago isn't brief!"

Merlar didn't hear them because she was so deep into her tale.

"How is this a brief version?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to hear the full one!"

**Who Knows How Long Later…**

Merlar finally finished with Mario having to get Bowser's goons out of the palace. She noticed everyone sleeping and quickly shouted at them. They all jolted awake while Mario lied and claimed they were listening very intently. Fortunately, she bought it.

"As I was saying, you'll need the Star Stone to reach the palace. I'll give it to you." The stone suddenly emerged out of the cold diamond, even though it was perfectly solid. While everyone pondered how it was possible, Merlar said this was the key to get into Crystal Palace. With a word of how she'd tell them the full story someday, she vanished. Mario stayed in place, then shook off his daze and grabbed the stone. Making his way back up to the frozen star carving, Mario placed the Stone carefully into the hole. The ice seeped into the edge of the wall, the ground started to rumble, a big bank of pure white ice showed up, and kept going up with frosty stairs popping out from the side. After what seemed like three stories of frozen water, it stopped rising.

"…wow." was all anyone had to say. Mario pushed onward, and, after beating a White Clubba, went out on a ledge to find the Mega Stomp Badge. He took off his Power Jump and replaced it with Mega, sapping the rest of his BP. He needed more…

"Awesome!" Bombette gushed. "I adore that shade of pink!"

Mario waved a hand and continued the trek upward. Once he hit the Life-UP Box and entered the next area, they all knew they were in for some surprises…

* * *

**:D At first, I had Watt get the Super Block, but I realized she was already Ultra...and then I improvised XD. Next time we enter the Crystal Palace! Woo-hoo!**

**On another note, SCORE 150 REVIEWS BABY!! ...I'm done now. I caculated, and if I get at least 5 reviews for every chapter we still have, I'll hit 200! (Sorry for sounding review-crazy. I'm just really excited/happy!)**


	54. Don't Trust Anyone Anymore!

Paper Mario X

Chapter 53: Don't Trust Anyone Anymore!

Kooper immediately jumped at the sight of his reflection. "DIE COPYCAT!" He threw a punch at the mirror clear crystal and received an injured fist in the process.

"Okay…_hah_…not evil…"

Everyone rolled their eyes and Mario conducted them through the door. A gleam ripped across the crystal clear wall, making a few squint.

"Brr…it's still cold! Bah, I'd say it's even colder!" Bow complained, now turning a hue of blue.

"C'mon Bow! Try to tough it out!" Kirby pleaded, wrapping his arms around her as far as they would go. Bow still trembled, but already felt better in Kirby's arms. She would've close her eyes if Goombario didn't run into a wall.

"That's a _reflection_ of a door…" he grumbled to himself. Link called him stupid for getting a real door and a mirror image confused. Mario ignored the following bickering to enter the real door. In the room were a giant red X and another door on the far side.

"That's a pretty obvious X…it's a trap!" concluded Sonic.

"Yeah, or maybe it's where you stand to get a free corn dog!" Samus sneered sarcastically.

"Shut up, Sam…"

Mario didn't have a clue what to do with the X so he entered the door. Once they took down a few Swoopulas, they discovered a room with a medium sized chest that held a key. Mario gripped it before backtracking to the entry hall. He ignored the big red button to try to unlock the giant red door, but it wasn't the right key.

"If that's not the key, then what is-yah!" Sonic called, tripping over the pressure switch. When he fell on it, the floor they were on started to elevate, sending them up to a part with a big blue door.

"Oh. The key has to match the color of the door…obvious!" Link groaned while smacking his head. Mario shook his head while sticking the key into the correct lock. It turned flawlessly, allowing them to enter another shiny hall where Bombette was needed again. Link sent her toward the crack with pleasure, blowing up another hole.

* * *

"This room is odd…" Sushie exclaimed when Mario bashed a coin block repeatedly, but the mirror version didn't change along with it. Samus scanned the room to discover one of the walls wasn't a wall after all, and directed Mario into it. He navigated through the other side of the room, hit the block, and found another crack for Bombette.

"Wow! I'm on a spree today!" she cried joyously. Her fuse sparked to life and detonated another path. Link gave her braid a quick pat before darting into the new area. He stopped dead in his tracks when the "mirror" version of them looked him straight in the eyes.

"Ah ha! They weren't reflections after all! They're pretty good imitators though!" Kooper yelled.

"Yikes! Mario's here!" the other Mario gasped.

"Whoa! We'd better beat him!" the Bombette called from behind Link.

"This isn't a mirror! It's a whole other room!" Samus gaped.

"They had us fooled this time…" Kirby snipped.

"Didn't have ne fooled..." Sonic stated. The fakers transformed back to themselves, leaving two to duel Mario and friends. By chance, they were the same two from the first time. They eyed Bow's crystal headwear with awe until Mario gave them something to cry about with a Mega Smash. Kooper went mad-and took Parakarry's turn- and used the remaining FP to burn the enemies. The first Duplighost collapsed as Parakarry grumbled something about "someone's gonig to get burned soon". The other Duplighost scanned the room and copied Sonic.

"Hey!!!" Sonic snapped. "…do I look that good?"

"Keep dreaming, Nic!" Samus guffawed. Sonic glowered out of the corner of his eye.

Link just slashed so there'd be enough FP for Bombette to do Bomb. The Duplicator rose into the air and mimicked Sonic's own spin attack. Bow demanded she go first, in order to smack the last of the phony. Kirby was just glad she could still fight, even though she was cold.

"Noo! The real Mario's strong!" the ghosts cried before running away.

"Still cowards!" Kooper shouted. One looked back to glower at Kooper, and then looked at Bow. He shook his head and continued to run. Mario gave thumbs up and trotted to the room that was the flip version of the room with red X. It had a Super Shroom in it, and also a Swoopula and a Spin jump Pad. They took care of the bat so Mario could break the weak wood. They fell into a lower room where a Duplighost was waiting. It was quickly brought down.

"I just can't get enough of those things!" cackled Kooper insanely.

"I think the clone trauma had an effect on him…" Kirby whispered while ducking and dodging from more gray bats in the next hall. At the small room at the end, Mario thought they had the big red key, but it was another useless badge. He tossed it at the wall, only for it to bounce off and hit Goombario in the eye.

"AH! Why only me?!?!?"

"I just had a thought!" Lakilester spoke up. "Since we broke the pad in this part of the palace, maybe the red X is gone!"

"Hmm…that's crazy enough to work!" pondered Samus.

Therefore, after another good amount of retracing, they wound up back at the room with the red X, except it wasn't there! Mario and co. anxiously jumped down the hole, headed right, had Bombette create another hole, and about five more Bombettes appeared!

"Ah! Bombette?!? What happened? Which one are you!" Link panicked. "Oh boy…"

"What? Who are all of you? You're all trying to look like me!" the Bombette in the middle cried. "Link…don't tell me you can't tell which one is the real Bombette! You can tell, right?"

One in the back started to jump up and down. "Hey! I heard that!* You're spreading lies, you impostor!* I'm the real Bombette!*"

The one next to that one begged for attention. "Oh no no! 3Link, Look carefully at me, and you'll know! 3 I'm the real Bombette. It can only be me. These others are all liars. 3"

"I'm the one!!!!! Link!!!! Me!!!!! Don't fall for these tricks!!!!!" another called. "I'll blow you up if you do!!!!!"

Link cringed. He certainly knew _that_ one wasn't Bombette. He was catching a pattern though…

"I…I'm the real Bombette…Puh…please…Trust your eyes and look at me…I…I'm not lying…" the one closest to Link pleaded. Link fell backward against the wall.

"Urgh…I…I'm not sure!" he gasped. Samus and Sonic had to hold him up. He went through the same thing Mario did.

"Nooo! I can't bear this!" the first Bombette shouted. "Link! Smash the impostors with your sword! All of you pretending to be me! I can't take another second!"

"Oh. That's a nice idea. 3 That'll clear all this up! 3"

"Yes, good idea!!!! I just hate impostors!!!! Link!!!! I'm the real Bombette, so don't you **dare** hit me!!!!!" Link composed himself and unsheathed his sword. He nervously darted his eyes from one Bombette to another. The first one he hit was the one that threatened him. Bombette would never do that.

"What!!!! Why did you hit me!!!!!" she turned back into a Duplighost. "Blast!"

"One down…a bunch to go…" Link murmured. "Don't worry Bombette; I know who you are…"

"_Bombette's doomed then…"_

"Quiet, Kirby…"

"What?"

Link gripped his sword once again and chose his next victim. He swung over them all, and then brought his sword down on the Bombette that always trailed when she spoke. The rest of them sighed relief.

"No…nooo…I should have worked harder on my Bombette disguise…" the Bombette grumbled as she remorphed.

Now there were only three. Link glanced at the one off by herself.

"Link, I'm Bombette! I'm not ever going to forgive you if you mess this up!" Link raised an eyebrow. "…okay, maybe I will eventually, but just know I'm real!"

"Okay…"_Bombette"_!_"_ Link joked.

"That's not funny!"

Link winked and swung his sword over her head. She gasped, but calmed down when it whacked into the one that talked sweet.

"Oh. 3 You must be very smart to figure out I was an impostor. 3 Curses!"

"Only two left Link…will you choose correctly?" Samus asked, putting more pressure on Link.

"What would you do if Lakilester was copied?!?!" Link hissed back. Samus shut up. He pretended to do Bubble Gum, and then in a flash hit his sword across the face of the one in the back. Everyone gasped. Was he right?

"Ohh!* Somehow you managed to see through my disguise!*"

The last Duplighost reappeared in a puff and scurried off. Bombette jumped up and down. She quickly hopped into Link's arms.

"If you'd hit me with the sword, Link, I was going to bomb you the next time you napped. But you didn't! I'm so happy you knew I was the real Bombette!"

"You were Bombetter than the rest of the fakes!" Link chuckled. "Besides, no one has the same sweet voice I hear every day!"

"Bombetter! Ha! Love that!" Bombette reached up pecked his cheek, giggled, and said they should keep going.

"It's about time!" Sonic jeered. He naturally sprinted ahead of the gang into the next room. A few seconds later, he came out with the big red key and went to return to the main hall before anyone could follow. Everyone sighed and followed him out just as he hit the button to go down. Mario snatched the key away from the rushy animal and unlocked the giant door. It led to a similar room the blue door went to, of course, but this time, they had three options of where to go. Straight ahead, into a mirror and straight ahead, or into a mirror and go backward. Mario shrugged and just kept going forward.

* * *

"Another White Clubba!" Kooper yelped. The Clubba sat and guarded a simple bridge. He noticed the Mario Gang and went into a defensive state.

"Who're you?" he snapped.

"Oh, not again!"

"The Great and honorable Crystal King said that I can't let anyone pass! You're up to no good! I'm going to have to hurt you!"

Everyone shrugged and assumed battle stances. Mario jumped on the GRAY Magikoopa behind the Clubba while Parakarry used his Shell Shot. The Clubba brought his spike weapon on Mario's head, followed by the Gray Magikoopa turning the Clubba indivisible.

"Great! How are we supposed to attack him?" Samus complained.

"We don't! That's the whole purpose of the attack!" Goombario stated.

"I KNEW that! I was just expressing my complaints! Not my fault you have to be stupid and give me a fun fact!"

"How is that being stupid if I'm smart?"

"It's stupid because you are smart!!!"

"GUYS!" Bombette shouted while Link sliced some of the Magikoopa. It only had a little HP left, but Bombette couldn't reach him without wasting a Power Bomb. She told Sonic he could take her turn, and Sonic strutted over to do a Spin Attack. The Magikoopa collapsed. The transparent enemy bonked Link on the head, making the hero gasp in surprise.

"Grr…you may be invisible, but I WILL **personally** make sure you die!" he growled.

"A little dark much?" several partners scoffed.

"You'll be next!"

"I take responsibility for my actions!"

Kirby pouted, "I can't attack him! That…sucks…I wanted to blast him with my flames!"

"Well, we can hide too, can't we?" Bow smirked, a hint of chill in her voice. She gently tapped Kirby to hide him from sight and the Clubba's club never made contact with his squishy head. Finally, it became solid again and Samus finished it off with a missile. The Clubba admitted defeat as a Clubba Statue in the mirror side of the room disappeared. There was another statue to follow that, which could only mean one thing…

"I won't let you! I won't and I won't and I won't! You can't! You'll have to go through me if you want to get past!" another Clubba screamed. Even with another Clubba Pal and a White Magikoopa, they group still took them down. The statue ceased to exist. There was still one more statue, and still one more Clubba.

"Hey? Didn't you hear me? I said I'm not budging, you got that?" he grunted. "Do you have any idea how mad the Crystal King'll be if I you pass here? I don't want him mad at me, so I'll have to teach you a lesson!"

"We get it…" Sonic trailed before punching him in the face followed by a sword slash and a Power Punch. "…We get it just fine!"

"More like _gave _it just fine!"

"That was a cheap shot! I wasn't ready!" gaped the Clubba before he and his statue disappeared. The main five leveled up. Mario took some much-needed BP, Link got HP, Kirby got FP, Samus chose FP, and Sonic seized a little more HP.

"I wonder who this Crystal King is…" pondered Lakilester.

"Obviously the king of Crystal!" Link input.

"What if he's the one guarding the Star Spirit?" shook Goombario.

"He'd better be cooler than me!" chattered Bow. Kirby let out a battle cry and formed flames around Bow, warming her instantly.

"Aw...I wanted to use my Fire Shell..."

"Too bad, Common Koopa!"

"Common Koopa? Is that the best you've got?"

"You can't fly like Parakarry!" Parakarry briefly struck an important pose.

"So?!" Parakarry's pride deflated. Kooper patted him. "No offense man..."

* * *

Mario led them around the way to the mirror side of that room from the previous one. In the next room was some sort of mirror flip thing. Link placed Bombette by one switch and told everyone else to get on the round part of the machine. When Bombette blew the switch up, they all were pushed to the other side. The door was on that side, so using natural instinct Mario entered.

"I hate all this weird mirror stuff!" complained Sonic as he observed a Duplighost pacing on the other side of the glass the same as a Clubba was. Mario didn't pay much mind to it after they beat it, but when alternate versions of them were caught in the mirror, it freaked a select few out.

"That's not a reflection…" Goombario breathed.

"Of c-course it isn't! It m-m-moves a step after w-we do!" Kooper gritted.

"C-C-Creepy…" Bow added.

"Don't tell me you're scared!" Kirby groaned.

"I'm C-COLD!"

"Oh yeah…"

"That's still freaky…" finished Lakilester.

"What's it doing?" wondered Link. The Mario on the other side was shooting Kooper into a hole, oddly. Mario thought deeply before trying it out on the hole at his feet. Sonic sent Kooper on through, but he didn't come out…

"Gah! Kooper!" Bombette gasped. Everyone looked through the hole, only to be ran over by Luigi, Kolorado, Goompa, Kooper, and Koopa Koot.

"You've gotta be kidding…" Samus moaned.

"Mario, I'm the real Kooper. But of course you know that," explained the Kolorado. "Don't you, old boy?"

"Yeah right! Kooper wouldn't look like an explorer-gone-wrong! I can't even imagine why anyone would call that weirdo an archeologist!" Kirby rambled.

"I still support him!" Kooper input.

"Mario! Look at me! I'm the real deal! No one else looks like Kooper!" stated the Goompa.

"No one except Kooper, which, um, isn't you!" Watt chortled.

"Mario, come on. I'm Kooper! This is ridiculous!" Kooper murmured.

Everyone gave a nod in agreement.

"I'm the real Kooper, sonny! You believe me, don't you?" added "Koopa Koot".

The entire gang banged their heads on the walls.

"Do you really think we're THAT dumb?" Samus shouted while strangling Luigi.

"I'm...the real Kooper! There isn't any doubt...in your mind, brother!" Luigi choked.

"See? Kooper isn't Mario's brother!!! We're not idiots!!!" Link boomed.

"Okay, old bean! You'd best smash these impostors one by one," Kolorado the Fake finished.

"Who are you calling an old bean?"

The rest of the impostors agreed and Mario went to smashing. First, he hit Luigi, then Kolorado, Goompa, and eventually Koopa Koot.

"Yes! Yes! Good call Mario! I knew you'd get it right! Those were the worst disguises ever!" Kooper guffawed.

"Oh tell me about it! I've seen better…" Kirby scoffed. "Right Bow…Bow? **BOW**?!?!"

The pink puff suddenly jerked his head back and forth, trying to find his partner. She was nowhere to be found.

"She must've been taken when we were busy with the copies!"

Everyone could only stare as Kirby passed out. Some say it was because his heart stopped. Of course, it didn't, but it would if your want to-be girlfriend suddenly disappeared.

* * *

**Le gasp! BOW GONE?! Seriously, how did I come up with that? *younger sister coughs in the background* Oh yeah...**


	55. Like Shattered Ice

Paper Mario X

Chapter 54: Like Shattered Ice

_"Yes! Yes! Good call Mario! I knew you'd get it right! Those were the worst disguises ever!" Kooper guffawed._

_"Oh tell me about it! I've seen better…" Kirby scoffed. "Right Bow…Bow? BOW?!?!"_

_The pink puff suddenly jerked his head back and forth, trying to find his partner. She was nowhere to be found. Everyone could only stare as Kirby passed out. Some say it was because his heart stopped. Of course, it didn't, but it would if your want to-be girlfriend suddenly disappeared._

"Kirby?!" Link gaped. He, Sonic, and Samus quickly ran to his side, with Mario tagging along. Sonic slapped him, Link shook him, and Samus bonked him on the head with her canon. Mario resorted to smashing him with the hammer. Kirby jolted up, scanned the room again, rubbed his head, and had an episode.

"WHERE'S BOW!?!? She was right behind me when Kooper was "copied" and then she was gone!!!!!" wailed Kirby. "WHY IS LIFE SO DIFFICULT IN THIS WORLD?!?! I could just be back at home, eating food and watching the sky, but no! I'm here, and the love of my life is gone! I-"

"KIRBY! We can't find her if your rambling on about some life story!" Samus snapped. Kirby's lower lip sagged out.

"What would you do if you lost Lakilester!?!"

"Why does everyone bring him into these kind of conversations? Come on…"

Kirby's eyes bugged out.

"Grr…I'd pout and complain, but I wouldn't waste all my energy into it! I'd go and look!"

"Me too!" Kirby cried. "BOW! I'M COMING! Don't freeze over, PLEASE!"

He ran ahead, only to slam into the wall. Link peeled him off, and he was off once again.

"At least he's eager to go hunt him down instead of dwelling on it…"

"Then let's follow him!"

"What…happened to Bow though?"

* * *

The two Duplighosts bowed before the Crystal King. They explained what they had brought, and he gasped in surprise. One ghost handed the King 2 beautifully crafted crystal bows while the other one dragged a green ghost out in another room to freeze. The king halted him. He had better ideas…the green and bowless Boo was so cold and shivering, her greenness was starting to fade to a light blue.

* * *

Link told Kirby to calm down, and that he was acting like Link when Sonic was captured. When Samus heard that one, she groaned loudly, causing Sonic to demand an explanation.

"He was so bent on saving you he swore at random people, attacked the innocent, and nearly got us killed…" ranted Samus. Sonic raised an eyebrow. Link sweat dropped.

"COME ON! THIS IS MORE SERIOUS!!!" Kirby screamed.

"What?"

"I think saving my girlfriend is way more important than saving a best friend!"

"She never confirmed the girlfriend part. She just kissed you to thank you for the gift."

Kirby roared and stomped on ahead. The room Kooper discovered was a mirror mess. It looked like there were three doors, but the only ones they could go through was the one to the south and to the east. They headed south first. Link jumped under a ? Block to get a Maple Syrup. Kirby snapped that this was no time for food and stepped on his foot. Bombette got mad and chased him while Mario swung his hammer around to end the chaos.

"Man…that hammer is going to be the death of us!" Sonic remarked. He went to walk away, but was a centimeter away from bashing his nose against a Dino Statue.

"What in the world is that there for?" Sushie asked.

"If we knew, I wouldn't have a nearly broken face!" Sonic snapped.

"Let's go back to the east door instead and see what we can do about it," Link suggested.

"Let's hurry!" Kirby input.

Mario nodded and backtracked. He was startled to see that in Mirror Land, there was a blue switch while there wasn't one on their side. Kooper still sent himself over to the other side of the gap, and the mirror version hit their switch. A bridge emerged from the wall and Kirby darted across.

"Bow! Bow! Bow!" he stammered the whole way. Samus told him to wait up while running to catch up. Kirby ignored her and slammed the next door open. He studied the next room, with two locked doors and another open door behind the glass. Sonic entered just as Kirby ran through the available door.

"Come back here puffball!"

He skidded on the slippery floor and nearly collided with a wall. Mario, Link, and Samus caught up with him shortly after.

"Why am I always the one that gets hurt huh?" Sonic groaned. Link helped him up while Samus grunted.

"Urgh…we'll catch up with Kirby later. No doubt he'll let anything get in his way of saving Bow…" she acknowledged.

"I hope you're right…" Link murmured.

"Do I have a lump on my head?" Sonic asked.

Everyone rolled their eyes and followed Mario. After another few doors, a small bridge, entering the same room (only in the north part) and Watt complaining she was getting dimmer, they found a smaller version of the Dino statue in the south room.

"This place really is like a giant mirror…" Bombette gawked while the combined force of Link, Sonic, Samus, and Mario pushed the statue to the left.

"You're just now noticing that?" scoffed Kooper.

"No! I'm just saying!"

"Well you should have just said that a littler earlier…" Lakilester huffed.

"Ugh, men…"

"WAH!"

The bickering partners stopped their discussion to see the four leaders fall into a hole. Link was gripping the edge until Mario pointed out the fall wasn't very deep. Link let go, landed on the spring awaiting him, and fell on his face.

"I never get used to that!" he grumbled. Bombette, Kooper, Lakilester, and everyone else followed in after a small laughing fest. Bombette told Link to get up and Sonic added that even the best fall down sometimes, clearly referring to himself. Mario groaned and Samus called him Nic once again.

"Uh guys? Kirby? Door? Bow freezing?" Parakarry reminded. Mario nodded and opened said door. A White Clubba was on the other side, but Mario, Kooper, Link, and Bombette took care of it single handedly. Mutters of "Battle-hogs" were passed along. The door at the other end opened to a room with a badge in a chest.

"Wow. All that for nothing!" Samus remarked. "So not worth it!"

"Back we go…" moaned Sushie. A now discouraged team groaned in union and made their way back to the room with the bigger dinosaur statue.

"Cool! It moved!" exclaimed Sonic. He happily jumped down the now exposed hole with Kooper cheering after him. When he landed, a Duplighost was trampling toward him with a few lackeys. Sonic took this as his time to shine and unleashed a good Sonic Wind on them. They all screeched and were blown away. Sonic cackled in a victorious way as Samus entered the room.

"Dang it! I wanted to use my missile!" she pouted.

"You're too slow!" mocked Sonic with a pointed finger.

"No problem Nic! I'll just use you instead!" she retorted with her arms raised. The room shook with the massive blasts making contact with the floor. Sonic continued to be cocky after every projectile was dodged. Samus roared and aimed with all her precision. Just before she launched it, Link jumped on her and pushed her to the ground.

"What's wrong with us lately? We are hurting part of our own_ team_, and what is worse our best friends! You're trying to shoot Sonic for crying out loud! We totally trashed Kirby…and leaving Mario out of the loop!" Link explained. Mario turned with a jolt at the sound of his name.

"Mario out of the loop? What are you talking about?" Samus wondered once she shoved Link off. Sonic returned from running away and joined the discussion.

"Friends don't act like this. What's tearing us apart?" Link asked again, semi-ignoring the Mario part of the statement.

"Well…I really don't know! It's all her fault though!" Sonic accused.

"You wanna go rat boy!"

"HEDGEHOG!"

"GUYS!!!"

Samus and Sonic cut off the instant the word got out of his mouth. Link frowned and leaned against the wall.

"It's not just you two. Kirby does his fair share…and so do I. I'm amazed at how Mario can hang back and handle it all!"

All three glanced at Mario who responded with a shrug. Samus folded her arms, Sonic slightly hung his head, and Kooper interrupted the moment by saying he found a key to the doors in the east room (real and mirror). Mario took the key as Samus and Sonic apologized with a handshake, followed by pulling the other close and giving each other a pat on the back. Link draped his arms on their shoulders, and they all promised not to act like this anymore. Link motioned for Mario to join in, only for him to shake his head.

"C'mon! You know you want to!" Samus teased, not as crazed as she was before. Mario caved in and joined Sonic's right side. Samus, Link, Sonic, and Mario, followed by their corresponding partners, turned heel and returned to the east room to unlock the doors.

* * *

Mario, filled with joy, turned the blue and red key in the lock. Lakilester opened the door, and Goombario gasped at the two dinosaur looking things that resided in the room. They were white with red eyelids and purple horns. Mario walked up to the closet one and started to talk to it.

"You can't go through here unless you solve the puzzle. Once you solve the puzzle, we'll let you through."

"What is he talking about?" Watt asked.

"There was a pink round thing that passed through here, and he was so cute and innocent I HAD to let him pass!" one dino whispered to another in the back.

"But the doors were locked! How did he get in?"

"I saw him squeeze under the door crack."

Sonic breathed, "Typical Kirby…" while the rest of the gang tried to figure out the puzzle. Goombario casually pointed out that they needed to go in through the other door to get to the Dino Statues on the other side of the glass. Everyone looked over to see he was right.

"I hate this palace! I can't wait until we get done!" Samus snapped. They had to coordinate to solve this thing. Link and Samus stayed on the statue side while Mario and Sonic talked to the real Albino Dinos to get them to turn in the correct direction so Link and Samus could push into the right spots, which were yellow orange tiles on the ground. At first, they had tried to simply do it without the turning, and found they couldn't. When they figured out the Dinos needed to turn, they group thought they had it. Though, once they returned to the statue side, all the changes were changed back. (They used the door, completely oblivious to the fact there was no glass separating it in the first place) Link gave creds for Goombario to think of the separation strategy, and now was doing fine. Link heaved the first block onto the first title, while Samus motioned for Sonic to turn the second Dino to the right.

"Hiya Dino!" Sonic said cheekily.

"You can't go through here unless you solve the puzzle. Once you solve the puzzle, we'll let you through."

"…fine!"

The Dino was now turned to the right, and Samus shoved in that direction. She requested Sonic to get it to move so its back was facing the magical fourth wall, and Sonic pretended he didn't have a clue what a "Fourth wall" was.

"So…do you like Chili dogs?" Sonic pondered.

"You can't go through here unless you solve the puzzle. Once you solve the puzzle, we'll let you through."

"Is that all you say! You need to learn something else buddy!"

Sonic tried to teach the Dino some different phrases as Samus pushed the second block to the second tile. Link, on the other hand, was working on the third one.

"Mario! Can you get the third Dino to turn right for me?" Link shouted through the "glass".

Mario: Okay!

He tapped said Dino, making it whirl into foretold direction. Link thanked him with a thumb up and forced his shoulder against the Dino Statue to push it onto the remaining spot. With all the statues finally in place, a door appeared out of the wall and some red velvet steps unfolded outwards.

"Too easy!" Sonic cheered while racing up the steps.

"See? Wasn't using teamwork a lot better?"

"Oh Link…"

"What? It's better than trying to blow Sonic's head off!"

"I couldn't agree more!"

They all laughed, even Mario who was in a good mood. They gleefully headed into the door, only to see a Life-up Box and Kirby squashed in the corner.

"I feel a boss coming up…" Goombario shivered.

"No big deal! I'll burn 'em!" Kooper growled. Link ignored the boss factor and poked Kirby.

"Kirby! What's the matter?! What happened?!" he asked frenziedly. Kirby slowly turned to look Link in the eyes.

"Bow…" Kirby moaned while pointing at the exit door. Link, Sonic, Samus, and Mario wasted no time in springing into action.

* * *

**This is probably the best boss chapter ever! (Besides Bowser...) I still kinda like Lava Piranah better, but the Crystal King is so epic!!!**

**Younger Sister (who doesn't want me to say her name): I helped write it too!**

**Me: Yes...she helped... (but I fixed a few parts up) So now I have to let her guest star.**

**YS: YES!!**

**Me: -_- *sigh***


	56. The Crystal King: Rules a World of Hurt

**Whoo hoo! BOSS BATTLE! This is so COOL! (Get it? *shot*) Anyway, since my sister DID help write this, she gets to guest star...**

**Sister: Hi!! She couldn't have done this without me! I got to do the Kirbow and some of Kirby and Bow's since she was having trouble with the romance!**

**Me: It's not my specialty okay?! She typed it out, and I made minor adjustments...so without anymore interuption-**

**Sister: WAIT!!!**

**me: What?! People would like to read the chapter TODAY!**

**Sister: One more thing...I'd just like to point out I actually have a fan!**

**Me: This is true. Too bad the name was () AND the person was annoymous...**

**Sister: -_-**

**Me: NOW we can read the chapter! You can talk afterwards, all right?**

**Sister: Okay!!**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 55: The Crystal King: Ruler of the World of Hurt

They all laughed, even Mario who was in a good mood. They gleefully headed into the door, only to see a Life-up Box and Kirby squashed in the corner.

"I feel a boss coming up…" Goombario shivered.

"No big deal! I'll burn 'em!" Kooper growled. Link ignored the boss factor and poked Kirby.

"Kirby! What's the matter?! What happened?!" he asked frenziedly. Kirby slowly turned to look Link in the eyes.

"Bow…" Kirby moaned while pointing at the exit door. Link, Sonic, Samus, and Mario wasted no time in springing into action. Sonic scooped up Kirby and tossed him onto his back. Kirby buried his face in his quills without poking his eye out.

"It's okay buddy…" Sonic assured.

"You haven't seen her!" Kirby blubbered in a muffle. Sonic felt some unsureness wash over him. "She's…oh…the blue…her face…"

Outside, a snowy path went upward. Everyone trudged through the snow, and noticed a trail where Kirby rolled back down.

_"He must have been forced down…"_ thought Link.

He caught up to Sonic (who was going at a steady pace so he wouldn't ditch anyone) to tell Kirby they'd make the Crystal King pay for whatever he did. Kirby just cried that he wanted Bow to be okay. Samus felt a touch of sympathy and offered to break every crystal bone in the King's body with a good old missile. Kirby just wanted Bow. Samus claimed she tried, and still promised to make mince meat out of the rocky leader.

"Who comes to my palace?" a deep voice bellowed. Kirby sprang off Sonic's back and scowled. Everyone looked up into the sky to see what seemed like a headless floating man appearing from nowhere. He lowered himself onto the freshly fallen snow.

"Mario…you've finally arrived!"

"I'd think this place would be beautiful if it wasn't some evil dude's palace!" Bombette stated. Link barely heard her as he peeked around the Crystal King. There behind him was a completely blue Bow with her lips a dark blue, stripped of her beautiful crystal bows. She twitched every few seconds and softly moaned.

"Poor girl…she's going to catch hypothermia or something!" Sushie gasped. Sonic immediately sent Kooper to go heat her up, and Kirby didn't object. Kooper lit his shell aflame, only to be stopped by Crystal.

"Heh heh heh heh heh…I know you believe you can save the Star Spirit, but I'm afraid I won't let you."

He sent Kooper back, crashing into Goombario. Kirby's face went stone solid and put his foot down, Final Cutter in hand. Bow tried to prop herself up as she moaned, "K-K-Kirby…"

"First I shall defeat you, then present Bowser with an iced Mario gift!" Crystal continued. Mario stayed crouched with one fist ready to attack. He then darted at the king at full force. Link turned to Kirby.

"You don't have to fight you know-"

"I have to. I promised I would protect my lady."

"A bit serious, but I understand…"

Kirby gave a blank nod and assumed his position. Goombario shouted from the side that he has 70 HP, and attack of 6, defense of 2, and a few of his moves. He seemed like a tricky fellow. No one cared though, and Mario started the match with Chill Out. The attack of Crystal's crystal bits went down and took a bit of HP from Crystal. Parakarry plowed into the king's face, and Crystal used his first attack to suck in the crystal bits and heave them at Mario. Luckily, they only took away one each. Bombette performed Power Bomb and Link dished out a jab. Crystal used his Crystal bits to do his dirty work once again.

"All right Royal Dork. You are going to pay!" Kirby growled. His first move was Mega Slice, and even though it cut a huge chunk out of his FP, it was so worth it. Sushie, his temporary partner, used Tidal Wave to demolish some damage and make the Crystal Bits disappear. Crystal cackled and tossed Bow's crystal bows at Kirby's face. Kirby was too in awe to move and got a good 10 taken away from him. Samus grunted and fired a missile. Lakilester "coolly" tossed a Spiny. The Crystal King mumbled to himself and cured 20 HP.

"Finally! My turn!" Sonic cheered. He jumped into the air, spun into a ball, and threw himself at Crystal, and his Action Command allowed him to repeat this until he missed it. In this case, he missed after five hits. Kooper was fired up for his attack. The enemy healed himself once again, frustrated that the rag-tag team made him waste two of his healing methods, leaving him with only one left. Mario used his second turn to use his Mega Jump and Parakarry refilled the FP gauge. Crystal attempted to freeze Mario, but failed thankfully. Bombette used another Power Bomb and Link refilled their own FP. They were attacked by Crystal bits, though Link's sturdy shield protected them both. Bow weakly fluttered her eyelids to try to watch Kirby. She knew he could do it, even without her. He went on a rampage after Sushie upped his FP so he could do another Mega Slash. Crystal cackled and used his final Heal move.

"You can do it Kirby…" Bow weakly moaned. Kirby looked solemnly in her direction and nodded.

"Whatever you say my lady…"

Bow tried to smile as she fell back onto the snowy ground. It was getting harder for her to stay up. Samus laughed manically with another missile launch, and a worried Lakilester ate some Maple Syrup. Crystal was all out of heals, but he wouldn't let that stop him. He tried his Frost on Samus, and surprisingly it worked. She froze in a block of ice, and Kirby cringed. Sonic let out a battle cry before running around at a rapid pace. His Whirlwind started to make Crystal get uncontrollably dizzy, and he stumbled a bit. Sonic cockily cackled while adding some punches and kicks to the routine. He showed mercy after a few rounds of that, only for Crystal to be burned out by Kooper's Fire Spin. Crystal was getting low on HP, and he needed to think up a strategy. He finally used his Divide and Conquer, creating duplicates of himself. Mario didn't want to take a risk so he called forth Star Storm, locating the real Crystal with ease. Parakarry knocked a good chunk out of Crystal, and Crystal could meagerly send out his bit brigade. Link unsheathed his sword for the final blow.

"Time for the Last Lash!" he smirked. However, it failed, and Bombette sucked down some honey syrup since that was all that was left. Link was so mad he didn't block the Frost attack Crystal had up his sleeve. Bombette wailed at Link frozen in some ice and desperately tried to blow him out. Kirby couldn't take anymore and arose with his cutter held high.

"FOR BOW!" he howled as he sliced right down Crystal's middle. Crystal cried out in anguish as Bow on the sidelines feebly tried to cheer. She got weaker by the second, and Kirby rushed to her side.

"Oh noo!!! The last Star Spirit! King Bowser, forgive meeee!!" wailed Crystal. He spun around as he faded out in defeat. Bow's bows flew out of his hands and landed next to Kirby. Kirby picked them up just as everyone leveled up. Mario, Samus, and Kirby took HP while Sonic and Link acquired more FP.

Before anyone gave a second thought to the Star Spirit, the entire gang rushed to Bow's side. Link picked up her small arm in her hand.

"I think she's getting weaker…and colder…" he said quietly. Kirby let out a devastated shriek. He picked Bow up in his arms. Everyone started to be choked up. Bombette, Kooper, and Sushie weren't afraid to show it, but Link, Sonic, and Samus tried to hide their sniffles. Kirby didn't want to say words. He wanted to show Bow how much he loved her. Ever since the first glance of her in the mansion, he felt a need to protect her. Kirby placed both her bows back on her shaking head. His thoughts were meaningless and his heart took over. This was so not like him, and he would have never done a thing in his own world. Nevertheless, this wasn't his world, and things were done differently here.

Kirby removed his lips off Bow's cold blue ones. If he wasn't so upset right now, he'd be redder than Sonic's Ultra Shoes. Link took off his hat in respect until he noticed Bow trying to get up. When she flicked the frost off her eyes, Kirby screamed in delight and forced the two together again. The moment was blaring with "awwes", cheers, and "wooos", but the occasion was ruined by Sonic.

"Ha! Looks like it's getting pretty hot in here! Kirby must've warmed up to Bow's heart!" Kirby and Bow both flushed in red. Bow was suddenly very warm, and couldn't even feel the cold anymore-she was _burning_ now. Bow even had to fan herself as Kirby hopelessly chased Sonic around with his hammer shouting, "YOU RUINED IT!" Everyone laughed, including Bow. Mario watched the scene for a few minutes until he noticed that last Star Spirit's card floating in mid-air. Samus and Link joined him, along with a hunted Sonic and a calmed down Kirby, and all five of them touched the last card of the last Star Spirit.

_All seven Star Spirits had finally been found, and after many misadventures, hardships, and fun, their times together was slowly drawing to a close…but before that, Bowser needed to be stopped…will Mario, Link, Kirby, Samus, and Sonic beat King Bowser, and save Peach, Zelda, and Amy? On the other hand, will wishes forever go ungranted and Bowser will reign until the end of time?_

* * *

**Me: Well THAT was an interesting chapter!**

**Sister: It was so touching!! **

**Me: Yeah, it WAS pretty good...say, why don't YOU have an FFN account?**

**Sister: Mom says I'm too young to use the computer.**

**Me: I think that's complete bogus because she's a pretty good writer and at a decent age, but hey, what can you do? **

**Sister: You should sneak me on the computer early in the morning before everyone wakes up more often!**

**Me: Um...no...**

**Here's what will happen next time:**

**WE START THE AWESOME CHAPTER 8!!!! If Chapter 5 was't the best, then by far it shall be this one! The ending is so good I can't even talk about it without spoiling it! XD**

**P.S. Apparently SOME people get impatient! Seriously, I JUST wake up and there's already some shouting that I haven't posted the chapter up. Sheesh. **


	57. Star Struck

**Almost forgot about Peach...**

**Okay, Chapter 8 doesn't start quite yet...but oh well! **

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 56: Star Struck

Peach, Zelda, and Amy gazed over the side of Peach's balcony. Ever since the Rat Girl incident, they didn't dare sneak out. Seriously, who can sniff out if you're nice? Very creepy.

"Oh Mario…I wonder what he's doing right now?" Peach sighed, mostly to herself.

"I wonder where Link is right now…" Zelda thought aloud.

"Sonic! I'm so glad you're okay! Now you're coming to save me!" Amy squealed without caring if the other girls heard her.

"I wish I knew if we were helping him at all…" Peach trailed. Zelda gawked.

"Of course we were! All our info on where Star Spirits were, where Kirby, Samus, and Sonic ended up, and just about us being okay was bound to give Mario an edge!" the second princess remarked.

"Mario will be fine! You should be proud of your efforts! Mario, Link, Kirby, Samus, and Sonic know about all you've done…" Twink input. Amy hung her head.

"Yeah, but I missed out on two adventures and I nearly ruined our last one…" she sniffled. Zelda put her arm around her.

"We're not holding that against you! You had every right to unload your feelings anyway you wanted to! The important thing is that you are back to your old self!"

Amy smiled at Zelda. Zelda winked back.

"And don't worry girls! You'll be able to talk to them in person before long!" Twink assured. Peach nodded and Zelda and Amy laughed.

"…tee hee…I hope you're right Twink! Thanks for cheering me up!" Peach chuckled moments later. Everyone laughed until Zelda slightly frowned.

"I really hate to burst our bubbles, but when we get saved, Amy and I will have to leave…"

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that!"

"Well…you can always come and visit!"

"True…yeah! We should plan something!"

"Good idea!"

"Let's go back in the room, shall we?"

"Before we get too ahead of ourselves!"

The trio of friends laughed once again, with Twink hovering behind them. Their joyfulness didn't last long when Bowser stomped into the room. Amy used Zelda as a shield, but had her hand on her hammer just in case. Zelda stood her ground and gripped a sword of her own. Peach stood and blinked. Twink finished entering the room and hid behind the bed's canopy.

"Oh Princess Peach! Your cuddly old Bowser's here!" Bowser giggled while marching up to her. Peach mentally sweat dropped. "Can't we have a friendly conversation for a change? C'mon, let me see a smile!"

"Be careful peach…I don't want to make him mad…" Amy whispered as silently as she could when Peach folded her arms and turned away.

"I have nothing to say to you," Peach stated coldly.

"Oh, don't be such a pill!" Bowser protested. Zelda and Amy exchanged expressions at the word pill. "You're stuck with me for a long, long time beautiful! You'd better get used to it!"

Zelda and Amy let go of their weapons to cover up their guffaws. Bowser called Peach beautiful! Peach blushed a light pink, yet stayed as strong as she could. She twirled around with the anger radiating off her.

"Mario is coming, Bowser. And you can't stop him."

She said it so confidently it made Zelda and Amy want to rise too.

"Yeah! Link is coming, and he'll make you pay for what you did to him!" Zelda promised.

"Sonic'll get revenge for you nearly killing him! Not even Eggman is that cruel!" Amy snapped.

"GWA HA HA HA! Oh, you poor, silly girls! I'm invincible with this Star Rod, didn't you know? Mario's no match for me, or any one of his pals! They're history. Get over it."

Peach, Zelda, and Amy lightly grunted. Peach kept her arms folded and her look fierce. It was all Amy could do from swinging out her hammer, and Zelda put her foot down with a dark scowl. Before anyone could retort, Kammy Koopa entered the room.

"Your Raunchiness! We have an emergency!" she cried.

"Grr! It'd better be important! I'm right in the middle of a friendly chat with the princess!" Bowser grumbled.

"Ha! If this is friendly I'm afraid to see what a violent chat is!" Zelda spat.

"Uh…Mario has now saved all of the Star Spirits! There…IS a chance he could come here using their power…We must make ourselves ready in case he shows up!" Kammy explained. The girl gang quietly exchanged cheers.

"What! Gah! Mar-I-ooooo!!!" Bowser wailed. "Okay, listen Kammy Koopa. Send everyone to their posts! We'll ambush him the second he enters my castle!"

Peach cringed. Bowser semi-sweetly turned to her. "Princess Peach…why don't you come with me to watch…You can have a front row seat to see Mario get crushed."

Bowser ordered someone to tie her up, and if she escaped again, heads would roll. Amy and Zelda recoiled. Two Koopatrols ran in and roped Peach against her will Zelda went to cut the ropes, but she was tackled and gagged. Her sword dropped to the ground. Amy went to fight back with her Piko-Piko Hammer, and the guards backed off that moment. She went to go free Zelda and Peach but Kammy cast a spell that made her immobile. She fell to the ground with a thud and the Koopatrols seized her too. Twink couldn't stand to see them be treated like that and came out of his hiding place.

"You big…Koopa! Show some respect to the princess…and her friends!" he demanded angrily.

"Twink no!" Amy gasped. Twink started "beating up" the Koopatrols in a dancing fashion as Bowser was stuck confused.

"What is this whining little glittering thing? Confetti?" Bowser pondered. His fighting attempts were pretty pathetic, considering the Bowser minions didn't even move a muscle. Twink's constant fluttering made Bowser get irritated. "Gah! Buzz off!"

With a hearty smack, Bowser struck the Star Kid and sent Twink flying out the still opened window. Peach, Zelda, and Amy screamed in union:

"Twiiiiink!"

"Take the girls! Now let's move!" Bowser ordered. The Koopatrols obeyed and scooped up all three of them. Things were not looking so good anymore…

* * *

The band of heroes was at the bottom of the Crystal Palace with Kalmar. Kirby was now officially allowed to hold Bow's hand, and did so as Kalmar talked.

"My name is Kalmar. Mario, everyone, well done. Thank you for coming. You have successfully rescued all of us Star Spirits. We are in your debt."

"Eh, it's how we do!"

"How we do?"

"I'm trying some new slang…"

"Now all that is left is for you to challenge Bowser. My power should help you…to bring back the Star rod, to beat Bowser, to bring peace back to Mushroom Kingdom and all other worlds, and…to save Princess Peach."

"Don't forget Zelda!" added Link.

"Or Amy!" pointed out Sonic.

Kalmar summoned some of his magic and Mario raised his arms to accept it. His Star Energy was now up to seven and could use Up and Away, the newest Star Power move!

"Whoa! We can turn all enemies into stars! Sweet!" Kirby exclaimed.

"Mario, you must make your way back to Shooting Star Summit. From Shooting Star Summit, we'll prepare the road to Star Haven. The name of this route is Star Way. Once you travel the Star Way, you'll finally reach Star Haven. My only wish is for you to save this precious world, and all the others. You can do it, Mario and friends. Good-bye for now."

Kalmar created the well-known rainbow sparkle and returned to Star Haven once again, anxious to see Mario once more.

"Well, looks like we make a brief detour in Toad Town and then head up!" Samus stated openly.

"Yeah! Let's show Bowser who he's messing with! Hands in the middle!" Link said. Everyone put their hands in the circle with the exception of Bombette and Goombario (Bombette used her braid though). Mario placed his hand on the top, and after three was counted down, several hands flew into the air. While they started walking off, Goombario suddenly chuckled evilly.

"Now's my chance to become ULTRA!!!"

And while the rest of the gang walked off, he went back and got those Super Blocks...

* * *

The gang had rearrived in Toad Town, incredibly eager to get back to Shooting Star Summit. They discussed that they didn't really need any offensive items, and used the rest of their storage for Sweet Shrooms. Goombario also added that they should have some Life Shrooms, so Link and Kirby ate one Sweet Shroom each so Mario could hold two Life Shrooms, and Link, Kirby, Samus, and Sonic each got their own.

"Are we ready now?" Bombette asked.

"I think so! Everyone ready?" Link replied.

"You bet!" Sonic chirped.

"Let's do this!" Samus cheered. Kirby danced around for a yes and Mario gave a thumbs up. They all took some deep breaths.

Mario: Here we go!

Link sighed while pushing the Star Gate open once again.

"I've already been here. Pretty beautiful place!" Link explained.

"That site isn't beautiful…" Sonic pointed out toward the rubble where the castle used to be.

"I meant Shooting Star Summit!"

"I can't believe we were there once…" Kirby sighed. "Poor castle…"

"We can go back once we stop that stupid Koopa!" Samus enforced. Mario nodded and turned toward the right. The one Toad standing in front of the up-rooted rocks cheered them on as they marched along. As they got closer to the bottom of the summit, stars started to fall and the sky became like twilight.

"Is it ever pretty!" Bombette gasped.

"I could look at it all day!" added Bow. "With Kirby of course…"

Kirby flashed his teeth in a huge smile. Sonic snickered until Bow threatened him with a fan.

"I've been here!" Goombario put in.

"Yeah, they only want to hear it from an experienced adventurer like me…" Link scoffed as Bombette, Kooper, Bow, Kirby, and Lakilester wanted to hear more. Goombario muttered something nasty. Mario laughed and kept on climbing. Bombette was saying that the shades of purple were down-right perfect, until Goombario told her it wasn't a big deal and that she needed to get out more. She whirled around to blow-up his face, but Link told her not right now. Besides, she got her revenge when a shooting star crashed down on his head.

"Why karma? What did I do!" Goombario wailed. "There's _someone_ out there who loves me..."

At the top, a voice rang out to call to Mario and everyone else.

"Mario…can you hear me?" it asked. They all glanced down at the large tiled area on the ground.

"I'm going to open the entrance to Star Way…Enter this path without fear. The Star Way continues all the way up here to Star Haven. We 7 Star Spirits will be waiting for you here. We wish to give you our remaining power. With this power, you'll be able to stand up to the Star Rod Bowser holds…"

The seven colored spots on the platform started to illuminate. Then, before everyone's very eyes, a starry pillar of light struck the center spot.

"Whoa…"

"It's so pretty!"

"You think **everything** is pretty!"

"Yeah, and I think you're not, Goombario!"

"…I'm not beautiful?"

Everyone groaned as the Star Sprits in Star Haven said they were anxiously awaiting them all.

"Mario…make haste to Star Haven!"

Mario told the sky he would, and Link instantly inched toward the light. Sonic, Samus, and Kirby followed him.

"Here we go..." Sonic breathed.

"Yep. Time to end this!" Samus added.

"C'mon Mario! You're the leader!" Link called. Mario smiled and took a position in front of his friends and partners. He stepped silently into the portal, with everyone following him shortly. Before anyone could get comfy, they started to spin around and shot off the Star Haven.

_At long last, and 56 chapters later, they were going to defeat Bowser and save all that they had to save. Finally._

* * *

**YEAH! Wow, I remember finally reaching Bowser Castle and wrote non-stop! Okay, not really, but I wrote every little chance I could! **

**BTW, there's a new poll up on my profile if you haven't checked it out yet...**


	58. Among the Stars, Multiply by Ten

**Short filler chapter...but things start getting good real soon! Things got a little chaotic with that Peach chapter (I had forgotten about it, and people didn't quite realize...) but oh well! ;)**

**P.S. Pay attention the the characters that make cameos...**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 57: Among the Stars, Multiply by Ten

"We're practically walking in the sky!" Kooper gasped when they landed on something that looked like a Milky Way.

"I wonder what people in the sky look up to…" Kirby pondered.

"More sky?" suggested Bow. Kirby shrugged and trotted after Mario who was leading his group up the starry path. Stars hovered about the edges, partners were afraid of falling off, and the captains were fending off blue spheres of fire called Embers. Mario was curious and wanted to try out Up and Away, which destroyed the enemy instantly.

"Whoo, that's pretty strong!" Link observed. Mario grinned smugly and received a friendly punch on the shoulder.

*.*

The Star Way was windy and dreamy, but made the weaker of the group getting incredibly dizzy and had flashed backs of climbing a certain tree. The trail ended soon enough though, and Star Haven was filled with stars and star-studded trees.

"Nice place…" stated Samus. "It doesn't look anything like I thought it would!"

"I know. I was expecting some sort of gold Star City!" admitted Sonic. He trotted behind Link and uneasily glanced at the little pool of water to his left. He rushed Link to the next part of Star Haven a bit anxiously. When they did enter the next area, Sonic gaped again. Compared to the little pool of water, a small building surrounded by fountains and an oversized moat was practically nerve shooting!

"I'm going back!" Sonic gulped, getting ready to turn heel. Samus grabbed his wrist before he could make an escape.

"C'mon Sonic! We just have to cross over and you'll be fine!" Kirby squealed.

"On THAT thin piece of cement?!?" Sonic guffawed while pointing to the narrow pathway. "I'll be knocked off for sure!"

"It's not even that long!" Samus butt in.

"Oh, quit being such a wienie!" Goombario scoffed.

"How do you like it!?"

Sonic snagged the goomba and gave him a hearty toss into the water. He splashed about; due to the fact he had no arms to swim with, until Kooper felt so bad he had to dive in. By the time that was all done, Mario, Link, Samus, Kirby, and all the partners except Sushie were across.

"You guys are so mean! Deserting me like this!" Sonic pouted. He became absent-minded and started to walk over. Unfortunately, Goombario's splashing left a small puddle on the pathway, and Sonic slipped on his first step.

"Told you!" he sputtered before falling. Sushie reacted naturally and dove into the water before Sonic made contact. Instead, he landed on her, completely unharmed.

"Does this make up for the volcano thing?"

"…as long as we **never** speak of it again!"

"Yes!"

Sushie sailed Sonic to the other side while Samus and Link were calling Sonic melodramatic and making fun of him. Sonic ignored all the rants and entered the blue building. Mario and Kirby were already inside; Kirby and Bow trying to talk to the Star Spirits and Mario climbing onto a pedestal. Link ushered Kirby to follow Mario, and Samus and Sonic followed suit. Eldstar was the first to speak.

"Mario, you finally made it. The time has come to take the fight to Bowser's turf. Now…hold still while we 7 join together to bestow upon you our final power."

The Star Spirits suddenly surged with energy, and Mario, Link, and Sonic felt the energy flow through them. They were now able to use the Star Beam.

"How come we can't use that?!" Samus and Kirby complained.

"Because you're not worthy of the power!" Link cackled. Samus smacked him.

"If you use this power, you can drain the power of the Star Rod whenever Bowser uses it. Ah, yes! I have one final gift that should come in handy." Eldstar then created a floating boat thing from thin air.

"Sweet ride!" Link chuckled.

"This is the legendary Star Ship of Star Haven."

"Is there anything that doesn't begin with star?" complained Sonic.

"Bowser is keeping his castle way up in the sky."

"We knew that!" snapped Samus.

"With this ship, however, you can reach it. Climb aboard! On to Bowser's Castle! We will always be with you. Whenever you are in need, use our powers to help you."

Mario nodded in thanks to Eldstar, and turned to look at his gang. Link read his mustache.

"Mario wants to know if we're all ready," he explained.

"Yeah! I'm ready! Let's do this!" cheered Sonic.

"We can finally get this over with!" Samus sighed.

"I'm good!" Kirby added.

"I'm ready too. We're all prepared Mario!" Link stated.

"Let's give Bowser what he deserves- Star Style!" Sonic boomed.

"Oh, don't **Star** puns!"

"Link…give it a rest…"

"That was_ perfect_!"

They all prepared to get into the ship, until they realized it was a bit too small…

"I could take my Warp Star!" Kirby offered. "That has room for one other person!"

"I'll ride with Kirby so the Star Ship has enough room for Mario, Link, and Sonic," Samus stated.

Mario agreed, and made room for Link and Sonic. Kirby summoned his Warp Star and Samus hopped on behind him. Bow grabbed one of Kirby's hands so she wouldn't fall off and Lakilester gripped Samus. Link had Bombette in his bag, Sushie was squished on the floor, Kooper slipped into his shell, and the rest of the partners were inactivated. Mario gave one last ready-check before taking off. The Star Ship started to rise like an amusement park ride, and Kirby spiraled around it.

"Whoo!" whooped Link and Sonic with their hands in the air. The air (if there was any that high in the sky) whipped against everyone's faces, in a way as if it was cheering them on. Though Link and Sonic seemed to be enjoying the ride, they were just as slightly nervous as everyone else was. Kirby hovered right next to the ship, piloting his star expertly.

"We should do this more often Kirby!" Bow said. Kirby agreed.

"Just as long as we're not trying to save the world from an invincible beast..."

Mario glanced over the side of the Star Ship, only because he was curious.

* * *

"Look…a shooting star!" a little Toad told an older female one. They were at the bottom of Shooting Star Summit. He instantly started wishing that the princess would come back.

~*-*~

"Did you wish for something? I hope your dreams come true!" the girl Toad said.

"Me too…" answered the first one.

~*-*~

The Toad that was in front of the Castle's uprooted foundation looked up at the sky. He wished that he could see the princess again.

~*-*~

A random Toad in Toad Town prayed that he could eat tons of Shroom Cake.

~*-*~

In Hyrule, several patrons were wishing Zelda a safe return and that the Hero of Time would come back safely. Malon prayed the most, along with many fairies, children, and a few other folk who knew Link.

~*-*~

In Mobius, Tails and Knuckles hoped that Sonic would be careful, and come back okay.

~*-*~

On the planet Popstar in the country of Dreamland, Meta Knight swiftly watched a star zoom by out the window of King Dedede's Castle. All he secretly wanted was for Kirby to not get too reckless. King Dedede was sitting on his throne, unaware of Meta Knight, also wishing Kirby a pleasant return-but maybe a little bruised.

"With no Kirby, I'd have no competition!" he told himself.

* * *

Mario snapped his head back up. Their worlds _were_ closer than he thought, if he could see them! Link was about to ask him what he saw, until Bowser's castle came into view.

"There's where it all began…" trailed Samus.

"Can't believe we were kicked out that high!" Sonic gaped.

The two crafts flew into a stone Bowser's mouth, confirming that they were ready to get rid of Bowser's reign once and for all…


	59. A Hot Trip Through Cell

Paper Mario X

Chapter 58: A Hot Trip Through Cell

The team left the Star Ship and the Warp Star where they entered, next to a few Koopa Klown Cars.

"We're finally here!" squeaked Bombette.

"Yeah! Now we can do some damage!" Lakilester cried.

"Don't get ahead of yourself…" Samus warned with a smirk. After a quick scan, Mario located a door to their right and exited the concrete cavern. It led outside the front of the castle, with a locked front door. Of course.

"Why is it always locked?" Bow complained.

"I'm not giving up! I bet there's some other way!" Kooper confirmed.

"You're just saying that because you like to explore like Kolorado…" scoffed Link.

Kooper shrugged and continued heading east. There, he found another way in as he predicted.

"Told you!" he mocked before dashing in.

"Kooper! You don't know what's in there!" screamed Bombette.

"That's why he's just like Kolorado!" Samus groaned while passing the pink bomb. Kooper was standing his ground against two Koopatrols. Samus was the first to act, jumped in the air, spun around, and fired a missile that hit both of the Koopatrols. They had harmed them, but they didn't die.

"No way! Only bosses can withstand my missiles!" she wailed.

"These things are tough!" Goombario sniffed.

"No one asked you…"

Goombario shrugged, told her have it her way, and stayed out of sight. Lakilester tried a Spiny Throw, and that hardly did anything to the enemy. Both Koopatrols tossed their shells at Samus, but fortunately for her, they only did an attack of one. Since Samus went first, that meant Sonic would go next, and frowned when he couldn't do his homing attack, and he didn't want to waste a Sonic Wind or a Whirlwind. Eventually, he went with Sonic Wind, which didn't blow them away and only took four damage.

"That was so rigged!" he stated as Kooper tried his luck with Power Shell. It worked to everyone's joy. As everyone congratulated Kooper, Mario picked up a key a Koopatrol dropped. He waved it around to regain everyone's focus, and went to go unlock the front door.

"Wait! Look Mario!" Kirby pointed out. Mario turned around to see Kirby standing in front of a cell filled with Toads.

"Eh, nothing we can do to free 'em until we get inside…" remarked Lakilester. Mario shrugged and continued back to the front door. He twisted the key in the hole and swung the door open.

"Now it officially begins!" Link cackled slightly evilly. Eyebrows were raised. Mario shook his head and headed in. It was just like one of Bowser's Fortresses: filled with lava.

"Whew! It's really hot in here!" panted Samus.

"It's only because I walked in…" chortled Sonic. Samus moaned and rolled her eyes. Link wasn't about to be out done by that.

"So? If **I** was any hotter, the whole castle would melt!"

"That was lame…"

"Your's was lame!"

"Your both lame!"

"Your face is lame!"

"Yo momma's lame!"

"Oh no you didn't!"

"Oh yes I did!"

"Oh rly?"

"Ya rly!"

Mario's hammer thrashing brought the attention of another Koopatrol. They took it down with a bit of a scuffle, only to run into another one a little ways down.

"I can tell this'll be full of guards…" Kooper sobbed while plowing into one. This battle dragged a bit, but it was nothing they couldn't take care of. When they left the Lava Zone, they came to a fairly plain hallway. It cooled down a bit, causing Samus to snicker at Sonic and Link. She didn't last long because she had to dodge an oncoming Koopatrol attack. Samus growled and launched three missiles to take care of it.

"These things are so annoying!!!" she shouted. She sensed another one sneaking up on her and shot it to death without even looking.

"She scares me sometimes…" Link whispered to Kirby and Mario. Both nodded. They encountered a Hammer Bro. next, and Link, Kirby, and Sonic took care of it while Mario held Samus back. Once that was taken care of, Mario led them to the next room, where a statue of Bowser randomly spoke out to them.

"Bloooooooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" it wailed. Everyone sweat dropped. "Welcome worms! I'm called the Guard Door of Bowser's Castle. It's my job to keep suspicious types from entering. You must be Mario. Let me guess…do you want to go through here? Hmm…You want to get to the other side of this wall, right?"

"Please?" Kirby begged with a puppy dogface. Too bad the door probably couldn't see it.

"Ok then…heh heh heh…stand right in front of me."

"That's so a trap…" Sonic sighed.

"That's what you said about that red X in Crystal Palace, and we're still here aren't we?" Parakarry wondered. Sonic held his hands up.

"Fine! But when you get trapped, Kooper and I will be the ones safe and sound laughing at you!"

"What about me?!"

"...and Susihe too..."

He sat down and didn't budge. Everyone sighed and went on. They walked in front of the talking wall and stood right in front of it.

"Are you standing squarely in front of me?" it asked.

"Pretty suspicious if you ask me…" Sonic trailed.

"Ok…then…I'll let you go through."

The floor disappeared from underneath them, and everyone gave pleading looks to Sonic. Sonic just cackled and said "See ya later!" and waved when they fell into a cell.

"Gah ha ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed Guard Door and Sonic.

"You fell for it worms! You'll never escape from that impenetrable prison! Try all you like! All you'll do is exhaust yourself!"

"I'll see if I'll help you later!"

"I'll tell you what: If you make it back up here, I'll let you through. How's that? Ahh ha ha ha! I know you'll never make it!"

Sonic poked his head over the hole and winked. Then he vanished. Everyone sighed.

"Lakilester was right. We couldn't save these Toads until we got inside--inside the cell!" Kirby grunted. Lakilester smiled sheepishly.

"Just like old times, eh Bombette?" Link chuckled.

"Yeah, those were the days…"

"Speaking of…go blow up that crack over there…" ordered Link while pointing to a wrecked part of the wall in the corner.

"There we go! It's a piece of cake to break these walls. The material's weak. These are much easier than the ones in Koopa Bro. Fortress!" Bombette exclaimed.

"Must be just like paper!" gasped Link.

"You're really lucky you have me along, aren't you!?"

"Of course! You're much better than my Hyrulian bombs! You're interactive!"

Bombette just laughed and skipped along behind Link who was following Mario out the hole.

* * *

Just as Bombette blew up, Sonic was trying to pull apart the jail cell bars from the other side. He managed to move them so much that all the extra partners were able to escape with a panting Sonic.

"Whoa…I'm sure no Knuckles, but that was awesome!" Sonic wheezed. He looked in the rest of cell, and Mario, Link, Kirby and Samus were gone with their corresponding partners. Some of the Toads that were locked up quickly took Sonic's escape route, while the rest weren't quite ready from some odd reason. Sonic took off at his fastest to reach the Guard Door before everyone else. With the world's fastest super sonic hedgehog, it was only a fact he would.

* * *

Mario wondered where in the world where all the extra partners were, but didn't have time to worry about it. He focused all his attention on jumping across stone slabs in the middle of lava. Link had professionally leapt over, Kirby floated over with Bow right next to him, and Samus wasn't affected by the occasional lava splashes on her suit. She did lose her balance once, but Lakilester caught her on his cloud.

"Thanks!" she said.

"It was nothing. I just did what I needed to!" Lakilester shrugged.

He carried Samus the rest of the way across, leaving Mario to use what he didn't have of legs to maneuver the otherwise difficult room. Soon enough, his Goomba-tromping skills kicked in and he finally made it over (with the help of Parakarry). By the time Mario reached the rest of his group, Samus had already used Lakilester to reach a switch in the middle of the lava (although they could have used Kooper as well, but he wasn't with them). A moving platform came to life and floated over to the group. They all crammed on it to save the trips and happily sailed over. It came to a dead end, because the next platform was too far to jump and even more, couldn't jump the gap after that.

"C'mon Spike!" Samus called, ready for another journey in the lava. Lakilester smiled and floated over the red ooze. They floated to another switch in the lava, hit it, and another moving platform turned on. Kirby was already bragging on the other side of the room, and Link was catching up with his fancy footwork. Samus stayed on Lakilester and used him to get over, and Mario was feeling incredibly lazy and made Parakarry carry his chubby plumber body over.

"All right, we need to hi-jack Samus!" Link hissed. Samus mumbled something, but made room on her cloud for extras. The cloud could barely stay afloat with all the weight, yet it still made it to an area in the middle. Looking over the side, the gang found a moving platform, but it passed under some lava.

"No problem! Just use my power!" Bow stated calmly.

"I second that!" Kirby spoke up. Bow snickered. As they all stepped on the platform, one simple touch made them all vanish through the lava. Parakarry then carried everyone over another gap and Lakilester took them through an opening.

"Lava fountain!" Bombette pointed out. It was hard to miss. They brushed by it and Lakilester took them to solid ground. His cloud made an exhausted sound when everyone got off. Mario guided his team up some near-by steps, and into a group of Koopatrols with a Magikoopa.

"Uh…Uh-oh…Ma…Mario…is right…there!" one of the Koopatrols gasped. "Now what were we supposed to do in this situation? Kammy Koopa told us something, but I'm drawing a total blank. I think…she told us not to let him touch that switch…oh…oh…no…do you think that means we have to fight him?"

"You'd better believe it!" screamed Link and Samus, jumping into the air back to back.

"No! He'll wipe the floor with us!" another cried.

"Stop your bellyaching! Who says we should be afraid of Mario, huh? He's not so bad," the Magikoopa scoffed. "Whatever happens, we can't let him push this switch! Don't you care that King Bowser needs our help? C'mon!!! Take this…plumber! Show him what you're made of!"

Everyone prepared for battle.

"Waahh! We have no choice! Gotta be brave…gotta be…ATTACK!" yelled the third Koopatrol. All three knights charged for the group, ready to fight. Mario's first attack was Star Storm, destroying seven from each rival. Parakarry added the pain with a Sky Dive on the first Koopatrol. That one died, the other two attacked Mario, and the Magikoopa sent a blast at Mario. Link had Bombette do Mega Bomb, and everyone died on the spot. They slapped high braid/five to celebrate their victory. Kirby waddled over and mashed the switch down as far as it could go. It made the lava fountain stop flowing.

"Aw…rad! The lava totally cooled off and hardened! We can walk across it now, right wo-man?" Lakilester wondered. Samus nodded. He turned to Kirby and Mario.

"Yeah, way to use the old brain! That's why you're the man! Every day, I learn something new from you…"

"That's nice Spike," Samus said. Lakilester grinned. Mario took a mad leap off the edge and landed on smoking lava. They went to go to the next area, but it was locked, so after some intense exploring, they located the key in a secret room. Mario brought it back and made the door openable.

"No! It's dark!" wailed Kirby, reaching for Bow.

"We don't have a clue where Watt is either…" Link added.

As if on cue, the room lit up in a light only known as Watt in Sonic's hands. Goombario, Kooper, and Sushie were following close behind.

"I told you!"

No one bothered asking him how he _knew_ they needed Watt, how he even _got_ Watt, or how he arrived _just_ as they were talking about it. Now with the light, they could see the room was like a cave, and had a long rocky pathway. Mario gladly took Watt from Sonic and led the way once again up the large, dark, and twistish room. They all carefully avoided the spiky shelled white koopas, and even though they were hit by the koopas once, they figured out the only way to hurt it was with Watt.

~_~

After several accidents, arguments, Parakarry flights, and an illegal drug ring avoidement, they reached the other side thank GOD! They would've broken into a song and dance…until they found out there was more. Koopatrols patrolled the area, and soon enough after fighting three of those they all leveled up once again. Mario took FP, Link chose HP, Kirby nabbed FP, Samus wanted FP, and Sonic upped his HP. They later found the rest of the path under a gap in another way, and a Magikoopa blasted them from a good distance away. The friends took care of it and its lackeys and forged on. _Finally_, they made it back into the castle.

"About time! We were slower than molasses!" Sonic complained.

The only thing in the room was an ugly looking Bowser block, and Link suddenly had the urge to push it. When he did, it revealed a way out.

"It takes someone with a little meat on their bones…" Link bragged while making a large muscle. Everyone groaned while Goombario coughed _"Yeah right…"_ Once they entered the passage, they realized they were back in the Guard Door room.

"Blooooaaaa-wha? You came back? You escape from that underground jail?!? But there was no way you could escape!" the guard door guffawed.

"Unless you use the world's awesomest bob-omb alive!" Bombette snickered.

"Grr…of all the dirty tricks…I guess I have to keep my word. You can…go through. Grr. But don't think I'll forget this!"

"I told you it was a trap..." Sonic sighed. No one bothered to argue.

Mario and co. walked up the Guard Door, shoved him open, and continued the romp through Bowser's almost never-ending castle…


	60. More Old Times

Paper Mario X

Chapter 59: More Old Times

Another cute little room…" Kooper observed. It was dark with a little light, a blue carpet lined the floor, and the interior was very well designed. Mario agreed with Kooper, and continued to the right. Down a hall with short steps, he conducted his team to another room with cell full of Toads. A Koopatrol had the unfortunate job of guarding it, though it attacked Mario with a first glance. With a combined anger force of Samus, Lakilester, Link, Bombette, Mario, Kooper, and an extra guard the Koopatrol called up, the battle went by without a scratch. He dropped a key that Kirby snatched and used to open the cell.

"Yes! They have beds! So exhausted…" whooshed Sonic as he fell face first onto a hard, creaky cell bed. Everyone else exchanged faces, shrugged, and collapsed onto the rest of the available beds. Mario snuggled up on the blanketless sleeping unit and shut his eyes. It was a little awkward taking a nap in Bowser's Castle…

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mario's eyes fluttered open, and he let out a surprised yelp when his friends were staring at him.

"You should have told us you needed to rest! There's no rush to fight an invincible vicious monster overlord!" Link stated.

"We would have waited!" Sonic said with a slight cringe in his voice. Mario just shot them all a smile and hopped out of bed. He noticed some of the partners huddled around Kirby who was telling a story.

"...And so…by some strange way of fate, Link and I had teleported at the same time, onto the same world! It was the most coincidental, ironic moment ever! We looked at each other, instantly noticed we were from different worlds, and laughed our heads off!" Kirby rambled.

"Yeah, even when they first met they were "funny"…" Samus stated with sarcasm. Kirby made a face. Sonic then strolled over.

"Aw come on! You're leaving out the most important part! They were wandering around Mobius and messing with all the locals! So naturally,_ I_ was sent to investigate! This is the good part- When I found them, I was Super Sonic! I thought they were enemies and charged at them. Kirby swallowed me, gained my powers-"

"-and I attacked Kirby because at the time, I didn't know of his copying abilities and thought he was Sonic!" whooped Link. "Kirby started to cry and asked why I hit him-"

Bow broke out into a cackle and Kirby turned red while glaring at Link.

"I did NOT cry!"

"Yeah you did! You spat me out, stayed Super Sonic Kirby, and started bawling and holding your head!"

"I second that! You then jumped on me, and Sonic just stared like something had died!"

"I did?"

Link and Kirby were too busy in their fits of laughter to answer Sonic. Sonic pretended to be annoyed before joining in. Kooper interrupted the good time to ask a question.

"So after that, you got to know each other and started traveling together?"

"Yeah…"

"How'd you meet Samus?"

"Yeah- I was wondering the same thing!" added Bombette. Parakarry, Watt, and Bow nodded.

The whole room went silent as the four other worldly people froze in place. Samus, Kirby, and Sonic's eyes twitched. Link coughed and cleared his throat.

"Uh…that's a story for _another_ time so…hey! Let's get back to the adventure shall we?"

He pointed out the cell door and walked in said direction. Sonic, Samus, and Kirby scurried after him. Mario and the partners exchanged bewildered expressions.

* * *

In the blue-carpeted room, they went up the royal stairs and took a right. Then instant they entered the door at the end of that hall, a Magikoopa unleashed its fury. Link blocked the attack with his shield and Samus retaliated with a missile. If that wasn't enough, another Koopatrol was lurking around!

"Bowser must really want us gone…" Kirby thought aloud.

"Duh! When we get up there, we're going to take away his power!" Link retorted while jabbing a Magikoopa that joined in the fight.

**Several Koopa Battles later…**

"This is going to be a long trek…" Sonic gaped while sprawled out on the ground of the room on the other side of the next door. Mario, Link, Kirby, Parakarry, Watt, and Goombario were next to him.

"Well get up! It'll get longer if we don't move!" Samus snapped. She gave Link a good kick and stormed off. Link yelped with pain and dashed after her. Sonic helped Mario up, and Mario spotted a switch on a ledge that was too high for anyone to reach. He made a note to remember it for later and bypassed it to go in the following room. It was just like the first one, only it didn't have a switch, but it did have a spring in the middle of the floor.

"Okay…now what?" Kirby wondered. Link scanned the place and found a dangling jail chain.

"I'd hate to yank my chain, but…it's too good to resist!" he giggled to himself. Just as Goombario was going to comment about how "yanking his chain" had nothing to do with anything, Link tugged as hard as he could on the metal links. To the horror of a certain someone, the room filled up quickly with water.

"You've got to be kidding! One moment the floors are flowing with lava, next moment water's trying to drown you!" Sonic sobbed.

"Would you rather have water or lava?"

"Lava!"

"How ironic."

Sushie shook her head and jumped in the water. Sonic cautiously hopped on her as everyone else tried to think of how to follow.

"There certainly isn't enough room for anyone else on Sushie…" Goombario pondered.

"How did we do it before?"

"We had less people."

"So? Sushie was still small, and Link and Samus probably took up the most room!"

"Let's use Kirby!"

"WHAT?!?!"

Link tossed Kirby into the water, and he, Bombette, and Kooper hopped on. Samus flew with Lakilester, and Watt simply flew. Mario hi-jacked a ride with Parakarry.

"Aren't you forgetting something?!" Goombario wailed. Link thought it over. "Um…no?"

Everyone left Goombario, leaving him to swim with only his feet.

* * *

By the time everyone had caught up with Sonic, he was huddled in the corner while Sushie was slipping off the switch, unable to activate it. They all sighed as Link sweat dropped while using Bombette to blow it up. A spring then jetted out of the wall, leaving them able to jump to a high ledge. Sonic smacked himself across the face and followed his gang upward. As he landed, Link was using Bombette again to burst a hole in the wall. Ducking under, Samus noticed another blue switch on a block, so she lifted up her cannon and blasted the block to bits and let Kirby karate chop it. A secret hall flipped into existence, which led to yet another chain.

"This feels very familiar…" pondered Link. He shrugged it off as Sonic kept Sushie close. "I'll go pull it!"

Link half-skipped down the corridor and to the other side of the room. Everyone waved to him from where they were. The swordsman made another muscle before pulling down the chain. More water was channeled into the room, and Sonic nervously laughed. Sushie told him to man up a little and splashed into the water.

"Shup! I cannot help that I am afraid of water. If I had it my way, I'd be a buff lifeguard!"

He climbed aboard and sailed to another accessible dock. Everyone followed correspondingly, as in the previous way they did last time. At the very last pier, Mario located a Castle key, and everyone went on a riot to undo everything they just did to reach the locked door past the very first spring they found.

**Several Chains and Water Drains later…**

Mario unlocked said door, dripping with water and panting uncontrollably. Once he entered the next chilling room, everything suddenly felt still.

"This is a very suspicious room…" Goombario concluded.

"What was your first clue? The seemingly simpleness, the faint sound of a rocket being launched, or the fact there are some steps?" Link asked, dripping with sarcasm. Goombario wished he had arms to fold. Mario worked his way to the front of the pack and hopped up the stairs Link talked about. The moment he set foot on the top, a golden Bullet Bill shot past him. Luckily, he dodged it in time.

"Whoo! More old times!" cried Bombette.

"Hopefully Goombario won't trip me again…" scoffed Link. He flipped over an oncoming evil projectile and motioned for everyone else to follow.

"Awesome! A little competition!" screamed Samus, quickly pulling out her cannon. She stood right in the path of a bullet and prepared her weapon. To her surprise, the Bullet Bill flew right into it, and Samus immediately used it as her own ammo. It rocketed out and blasted the hat right off of Goombario.

"Hmm…must be the different technologies…" she pondered while punching another one.

Sonic snickered at everyone avoiding the soaring threats; he simply Spin Dashed them all without even getting hurt once. He bounced from one to the next, knocking them all out of the air. Sonic was the first to reach the Bill Blasters, gold of course.

"All right…let's do this!" Sonic called, homing in on the closer one. His attack did little damage. "Dang. Kooper, try Fire Spin…I'm not sure it'll work well, but it's the best you have!"

Kooper nodded and unleashed his burning fury. It did a pretty good chunk to the cannons, but they were still up and running. They each spat out one Bullet Bill, as if to do their dirty work for them. Link then rolled onto the scene and sent Bombette to do Mega bomb, which wiped out both Bullet Bills and both Bullet Bill Blasters. Sonic and Link slapped high-give while Bombette and Kooper body slammed. Mario, Kirby, Samus, and everyone else caught up moments later.

"I'm glad to see you waited for us!" Samus snapped.

"You're too slow!" Sonic shrugged casually. He hopped up the next set of steps, explaining to everyone that another set of Bullet Blasters were up there too. Everyone groaned, yet plodded onward anyway. Sonic used his previous strategy, along with Samus, but Link had come up with an even better idea. He picked up Goombario and used him as a shield. Kirby had to battle a few bullets, but took the fights as opportunities to impress Bow. Mario wove, jumped, and smashed his way through the horde of danger being blasted at him. He was relieved when he finally made it to the end. Sonic told him to finish off the Blasters with a Star Storm, and he did it with pride.

"Good job Mario!"

Mario made a motion to say it was nothing. Another Boom sound was heard above.

"Tell me there isn't any more of those things…" whined Bow. Sonic rushed up a third set of steps, there was a scream, and he sprinted back down, his quills smoking.

"That'd be a yes…" he groaned. Everyone followed suit.

"C'mon! It's not going to blow itself up!" Samus yelped, already climbing up. The rest of the team dragged behind her. She sucked up two Bombshell Bills (the real name, but I like Gold Bullet Bills better) and launched them at blasters down the way. The force of their own attack was so strong, it took away half of their HP. Link hurried to catch up so he could use another one of Bombette's bomb attacks. He made it without having to run into another bullet. He and Samus were about to celebrate, until another round of projectiles flew above their heads from the next floor.

"This is ridiculous!" Kirby shouted, now realizing he could float over the hazards.

"Bowser really doesn't want us beating him…" Sonic added.

Thankfully, for them, that was the last round of Bullet Blasters, and could finally enter the next area. About time.

* * *

**The chapter _after_ the next chapter is my favorite one of Bowser's Castle (if you don't count the boss battle of course)! Yay! And next Tuesday...is my first day of school. Which, unfortunately means, will be my last Tuesday update..and that makes me mad because the chapters start getting exciting afterwards... that sucks, huh?**


	61. DoorKey Problems

**Whoo! Luckily today was a half day... I'm so gonna die this semester T-T**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 60: Door-Key Problems

"Yipes!" yipped Sonic, nearly avoiding a bone from a Dry Bones. The dead monster started chucking the things the instant the gang entered the next room. Once they got around the first one, another began throwing too. Considering the fact they were accompanied by Koopatrols, everyone used their fanciest footwork. Kirby was hit a few times, only because the Dry Bones got smart and hurdled one into the air. Kooper was fed up with all the evading and let loose with his Fire Shell. The Dry bones were obviously very weak against fire, and went down as soon as Kooper made contact.

"What do you know? I was just getting fired up, and they got burned!" Kooper joked. Link cracked up at that statement. Suddenly, his adventuring sense went off, and it told him to push the rightmost Bowser block (they were against the wall) to the right. Like a robot, Link made his way over to said spot, pushed it, and revealed a way out. Everyone was there in the same second, battling to be the first one out.

"How do you always know what block to push or what way to go Link?" Bombette asked.

"I guess it's some sense I picked up from all my Zelda-saving experiences," Link explained while plowing into the mass of people. They all popped out on the other side, which was another fortress-themed hallway.

"That was uncalled for!" stated Samus. Link ignored her and immediately started barking out the next plan.

"Let's see…there's a locked door, and one enemy. I'm guessing of we beat the enemy, it'll drop out a key…so attack!"

"WHOO!" yelped Kirby, coming down with his Final Cutter. The Bony Beetle was joined by a Magikoopa, a Dry Bones, and another Bony Beetle. Mario grabbed Kirby before he hit the first Bony Beetle so he could attack first. Kirby returned to his position, pouting all the way. Mario used his Mega Quake, a badge he had stowed away.

"Wait a minute! How is Mario using all these badge moves when he barely has any BP?" Goombario inquired. Mario sweat dropped. Everyone raised an eyebrow.

"He says some BP was donated form charity and he can use whatever BP move he wants!" Link translated.

"I don't buy it, but I just want to beat these chumps and get it over with!" Sonic murmured. Mario nodded anxiously and slammed his hammer on the floor. Six was taken away from all the rivals. Kooper followed it up with a Fire Shell, killing off the Dry Bones and the Magikoopa.

"What are you doing?!"

"It's the curse of the flames!"

The Bony Beetle used their turns to turn themselves back on their feet. Link sword slashed the spiky beetle, and Bombette finished them both off with a Power Bomb.

"Aww…there's no key…" Link sighed.

"We all can't be smart all the time…" Samus smirked. Link sent her a glare.

"Well…only one thing to do then!" retorted Link.

"Eat?" suggested Kirby.

"Run?" guessed Sonic.

"Blow up?" came from Bombette.

"No…shove Bowser's butt-ugly face!"

The Hero of Time darted over to the leftmost Bowser Block and shoved it to the left, discovering another passage. He ran into it before anyone else could form a rush to get to it. He continued to run, but his head was attacked by a hammer from a Hammer Bro. in the next room.

"Hey! What are you throwing at bub!" he yelled, brandishing his sword again. The Hammer Bro. took this as a challenge and called in some backup, which was another Hammer Bro., a Dry Bones, and a Magikoopa. Link chuckled nervously and jabbed the first Hammer Bro. Bombette added to the pain with a violent Mega Bomb. When she used that, she meant business. The first Hammer Bro. and the Dry Bones died on the spot, but the other two opponents still had a little energy. The other Hammer Bro. threw a hammer at Link, who dodged it, and the Magikoopa healed three. Kirby bounced into the battle and swallowed the Hammer Bro. He then gave him a taste of his own medicine with a hammer bonk to his head. Bow finished off the Magikoopa with a deadly smack.

"You're no match for us!" she cackled. Kirby cackled with her. Link raised an eyebrow at the chuckling pair, but returned his attention to the castle.

"That's odd…" Samus noticed.

"What is?" asked Link.

"The Bowser Block is already pushed out of the way, and the other two won't budge!"

Link saw she was right. "I guess we got a free ticket!"

"It's probably a trap…" sang Sonic.

"Shut up! You'll jinx us again!" Goombario snapped. The hedgehog shrugged and said he wasn't leaving them this time. He didn't want to miss out on any action.

"Just leave him alone Goombario!" Kooper sighed.

"Well he probably will!"

"Do you want to put your money where your mouth is?"

"Oooh…challenge!"

"Prepare to be owned Goombario!"

Goombario smirked. "Oh yeah? I won't with my new…ULTRA UPGRADE!!! MWAHAHAHA!"

Mario: Oh brother…

"Where were we when that happened?" Link questioned.

As Goombario prepared to use his strongest attack, he was suddenly plowed over by a burning shell, turning out to be a smug Kooper.

"Yes, and you also forget everyone else has a ultra upgrade?"

"I think you scorched my back…"

Everyone just stared until they remembered the problem before them.

"I'm still not buying it!" Samus finally remarked. "There's no way…"

"This results in that being a trap!" Sonic added.

"Quiet Nic…" She looked over the path for several minutes until she just decided to shove it to the right. When she did, it covered up the previous path and revealed another one.

"Awesome!" yelped Lakilester. "You people are geniuses!"

"You need to get out more…" muttered Goombario. Next thing he knew, a cannon was place in between his eyes and maniac yelling was heard. "Wah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Sonic sighed and ran ahead of his team. No one else had a chance to follow when he came out with another Castle Key.

"C'mon people. You know how impatient I am! We need to speed things up a little!" he complained.

"Aw, stop whining!" Samus grunted.

"Hey! Maybe this is the key to the locked door Link found a few rooms back!" Kooper pointed out.

"Yeah! The one that he said if we beat the enemy, a key would pop out!" Samus added with a sneer.

"So I was wrong! Not like **you're** always right!" Link defended. He frustratedly grabbed the key from Sonic and started to backtrack.

"I wanted to unlock the door! I never get to!" Sonic shouted.

"Maybe if you catch him, he'll hand it over!" Kirby input. Sonic perked up and sprinted after his friend. Mario stayed to the side and thought about how weird his friends were.

**Two Rooms From Now…**

"GIVE IT TO ME!" Sonic screeched.

"Unh…no!" Link yelled back. They were brawling on the floor, both with two hands on the key and using their legs to kick the other off. When Mario and the rest caught up to them, Goombario gained some courage and jumped into the air. His destination was the key, but at the last moment Link's foot blocked his path and he was repelled backward.

"You guys are fighting over a key?" Kirby guffawed. Sonic and Link stopped arguing and laughed nervously.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem a little…out there…" Sonic admitted.

"Our dignity got off key!" laughed Link. Sonic joined him as everyone else groaned. Link gave the key to Sonic, and Sonic gladly opened the door.

"See? What that worth duking it out on the floor for?" Goombario, now with a black eye, wondered.

"It was a _key_ part of the mission…" burst out Sonic, leaving Link in a laughing fest.

"That…was pretty good!" Kirby said. "I get it! A _key part_…hilarious!"

"That was…no," Samus sighed.

Mario gave a thumbs up and both guys stared Samus down.

"We hope you can key in on our humor!"

"OKAY! The key jokes are over! We've already unlocked the door, let's go in already!"

Link and Sonic called her a party pooper and opened the door.

"Oh! I have a good one!" Samus started sarcastically in the next room.

"Try us!" Link and Sonic dared.

"Naw, you guys are too **Dorky**! Get it? Door Key? _Dorky_?"

"BURN!" Goombario cried. Link punched him. "Ow…you're just being mean and rude now!"

"You got dissed!"

"OOOOOOOHHH!"

"Served!"

Link and Sonic folded their arms as Samus had a field day. "And you said I was a party pooper!"

"THAT JOKE WAS AN INSULT!"

A stony roar echoed throughout the room, and Samus stopped laughing instantly. She and the others turned around to see another door guy looking angry at Samus' joke.

"What goes around comes around…" whispered Sonic. He ducked under a swinging cannon.

"Graaaaahhhhhh! Who would've thought you made it this far?" the door continued to ask. "You won't make it any farther. Because, unfortunately for you, I won't let you pass. Graaa ha ha ha ha ha!!!"

"What are you going to do about it?" challenged Link,

"Yeah, what're you gonna do about it?" dared Kirby.

"get your own phase!"

"I can't think of one!"

Mario took an offensive stance.

"But…I guess…if you really want, I'll give you one chance."

Everyone: ???????

"Because I know there's no way you'll make it anyway. Want to give it a shot?"

Mario told him yes, and his crew prepared themselves for whatever was about to be thrown at them.

"This is completely pointless, but I suppose I'll let you try, because, of course, I have such a kind and generous heart…just joking worm! Grah Ha ha ha ha ha! Now! Mario! Do you want to know what I've got in store for you?"

Mario: YES!

"Now for a little quiz. Several of my followers will come out here. Your job is to carefully keep track of their numbers. Then you'll have to answer my questions correctly. Quite frankly, we both know this is impossible, but if you get five questions right, I'll let you through here."

Mario, Link, Sonic, Kirby, and Samus nodded. They were allowed only two mistakes, and if they got three, they'd have to suffer the dire consequences! Sonic interrupted with "they weren't that stupid."

"Let's get going!"

Everyone turned to see three Bowser Statues rise from covering up three passages. Three purple shells Koopas came out the first one, two Goombas the second, and one from the third. They danced around and everyone observed them. Door Guy called "Times up!" and they left without a word.

"Now. Tell me how many Koopas there were!"

Mario held up three fingers.

"Grr…you're right! That question must've been way too easy. Now they'll be harder! Next question!"

The blocks rose again, and 3 sets of different colored Shy Guys ran out. They were like a blurry rainbow with how fast they were moving. Everyone counted the colors, and how many of each color there were, and paid attention to what else could be important.

"Now. Which were there 3 of?"

"OH NO! I FORGOT!" wailed Kirby. Bow smacked her head.

"Uh…" thought Link.

"Red Shy Guys?" guessed Sonic. The door had an episode about them getting another one right, and continued the quiz. This time, four blue Shy Guys, three red ones, and two green Bomb-ombs stormed out. Bombette shouted hi to the other bombs, and they winked back. Link told her not to associate with the enemy; she pouted.

"Now. Which ones came out the middle entrance?!"

"DANG! I didn't pay attention to that!" Kirby moaned.

"I know it's not the Bomb-ombs!" chirped Bombette.

"The Red Shy Guys!" shrugged Samus.

"That was the answer last time!" remarked Sonic.

"So? Its right!" pointed our Link, motioning toward the even angrier door. Samus smirked and said she was superior. Sonic snorted.

The next time around, several enemies entered the room, with the only two Goombas almost hidden from sight. Koopa Troopas and blue Shy Guys also loitered about.

"Now. How many Goombas were there?"

"Two too many…" Link moaned. Goombario made a face.

"Grrr…right answer! AAAARGHH! I can't believe you've gotten four questions right! All right, enough of this! I'm going to ask you a really hard one!"

"Do your worst!"

A red Koopa, a purple Koopa, and a Goomba walked out.

"That's your worst?" guffawed Sonic.

"Wait! The question might be incredibly brain-melting!" Kirby whispered.

"Now. How many arms did you see just now?!?!"

"Whuzzut? Four!" Kirby scoffed, surprised at how simple the question was. "Goombas don't have arms!"

"It's a hard life…" groaned Goombario.

"GRAAAAAHHHHH!!!! Cor…correct! I can't believe it! You got five of my super-duper brain busters right!"

"A brain-buster would be how you thought those were brain-busters…" snickered Link.

"GREAAGH! I've been defeated…by Mario!!! Oh the shame…!"

Mario triumphantly pulled the door open, ready to take the next challenge head on. There was nothing that could stand in his way at this point.

* * *

**I'm still laughing at the "Key" jokes. I thought they were pretty good myself!**

**Link: She knows good humor when she sees it! *hit by tomato***

**Yeah, I honestly _was_ considering making them get three questions wrong so they could fight the Anti-Guys, but come on- they _aren't_ that stupid.**

**Sonic: I knew it!!**

**Besides, I'm sure a lot of you will be pleased with the next chapter for sure... *grins evilly***


	62. The Mixed Up Paths of Bowser's Castle

Paper Mario X

Chapter 61: The Mixed-Up Paths of Bowser's Castle

The Guard Door brought the heroes outside on a long bridge. Link seized a Super Shroom out of a ? Block while Kirby got a Maple Syrup out of another one.

"How weird. Why would Bowser have items lying around his castle?" Link pondered.

"Maybe because it's to refuel Koopatrols like the one over there!" Sonic called, referring to the patrolling Koopatrol further on the bridge.

"No problem!" Samus chuckled, preparing her arm cannon for a launch. The Koopatrol didn't know what hit him.

"Sometimes, you scare me with that thing…" Lakilester shivered.

"Get used to it!" Samus retorted madly. "I love it!! Ha ha ha!"

Everyone: Gulps.

"Good for you. Just don't go psycho Sam!" Sonic sniffed. Samus was too miffed to even call him Nic. Mario told them all to get their heads back in focus and headed forward.

"Is someone a little anxious?" teased Link.

"I would be if I knew we were that close to_ finally_ saving the princess of your kingdom!" Parakarry stated.

"hmm…guess I would be too," Link agreed. Mario was glad they understood and led them over the great bridge. They claimed another Super Shroom, and they finally noticed how foggy it was.

"Gah! I can barely see!" screamed Kooper.

"Oh no…I hope it doesn't get pitch black again. I hate those moments!" grumbled Samus.

"Samus! Behind you!" cried Lakilester. Samus grunted, raised her cannon and blasted the sneaky Koopatrol.

"Those things think they're_ so_ clever…can't outsmart Samus…"

"What's she mumbling about now?"

"Oh, who cares?"

Mario shrugged at Kirby's retorting question and started to hop up the steps. Link's adventuring instincts went on the offensive, and led him to jump off the side of the stairs. Bombette peeked over the edge, only to see him practically dancing with a Jammin' Jelly.

"Link…" she sighed.

"What? We need all the best supplies, right? We're starting to run a little low…"

"Yeah! Thanks to your FP guzzling group!" snapped Goombario. "All Bombette does is blow up, and you show off with your fancy pants moves!"

Link really hated Goombario when he was right.

"You want to talk to me about my skill?" Bombette asked coldly. "How many times do we use you, huh?!?!"

"Bombette-"

"Never make me angry…you won't like it when I'm angry…"

"Oh no! Bombette's going to turn into a loud, green monster!!!"

"_What's wrong with a green monster?!"_

"Oohh…sorry Bow…"

Bombette, however, did not turn into a giant hulky monster; she just blew up several times non-stop in front of Goombario. He didn't have time to react to her outbursts and eruptions, so he nearly had his face blown up. Link was cheering her on while Mario, Sushie, Watt, Parakarry, and (after he was done laughing hysterically) Sonic calmed her down. Bombette was red from fuse to feet and Goombario was black with his eyes a blazing white. He coughed out a puff of smoke, and Link chortled. He was too flustered and frustrated to give him a look; he always ignored it anyway.

"_Sorry Bombette_!" he gagged.

"I told you not to make me angry."

"No screaming monster either…"

"Be quiet Kirby."

"You don't scream! _Most the time…"_

Mario face palmed and continued the stair climb. At the top was another bridge with a bunch of flying Magikoopas. Unfortunately, they were always hit by the first strike, so they had to battle them all. But the good that came out of it was that they leveled up. Mario, Link, and Samus took HP and Kirby and Sonic chose FP.

"Man Link! 50 HP!!!" yelped Sonic, who only had 35 at this point.

"It's how I roll!"

"Please…"

"Shush Samus!"

The newly leveled up gang finished crossing the bridge and entered a door. It opened to a room with a blue carpet and three ways to go, like the one before. Mario went to the left, bounced down some small steps, and found another locked cell filled with Toads. Another Koopatrol was guarding it all by itself, and it was felled with a Star Storm, Sky Dive, and Sword Slash. The guard dropped a key, and Sonic rushed to unlock the jail.

"Two outta three ain't bad!" he chuckled while swinging the key around his finger.

"Another resting area!" sighed Bow, already heading for a cell bed. Sonic and Link followed suit, while Mario crawled into another. Kirby wasn't tired and spotted a Bumpity in the corner; he had a few choice words for him. Samus took her nap in the corner.

* * *

When Mario was the last to wake up again, he yawned, stretched, and saw everybody screaming. Kirby was shouting wildly at the penguin, as if it was his fault Mario got arrested before. The penguin said he was trapped here the entire time, and didn't have a clue to what he was talking about. Bow was eagerly trying to pull Kirby away, and Kirby had to ignore his love for his "unfinished business". Mario walked over, flicked Kirby on the head, told him to knock it off, and Kirby defended himself by saying to shout at everyone else. Mario turned around and saw Link and Sonic in the corner with Samus fending off the enraged partners.

"TELL US THE STORY!" screamed Watt.

"No! Over my dead body! **_No one_** can know about **that**!" howled Samus.

"I wish we didn't!" Link put in.

"Me too!" added Sonic.

"WHY NOT!" shouted Bombette, trying not to let loose on Link.

"It's too complicated!" replied Link.

"It's too _painfu_l!" moaned Sonic.

"It's too **personal**!" roared Samus, half-heartedly swinging at Bombette. Bombette was small enough that she didn't even have to duck.

"YOU PROMISED!"

"DON'T MAKE ME JUMP ON YOU!"

"Stay out of this Goombario!"

"Please! If you don't calm down, I'm going to have to ask you to leave!" yelled the Toad in charge. "We can't afford to be caught with the door open!"

He wasn't heard over the noise.

"Shield you eyes Lakilester!" Samus sniffed.

"RUN BOMBETTE!"

Samus let out a battle cry as Lakilester grabbed Bombette and flew out of the way. Link and Sonic ducked from the barrage of ammo, screams, and fists coming from Samus. The partners all screamed and ran around the cell. Kirby used Bow as a shield, then gained some strength and stood in front of her. The Toads cried out in bloody murder, and Mario stood in a daze thinking about what wild story was behind all this hoopla.

* * *

The Toads eventually gathered some courage, picked up Samus, and kicked everyone else but Mario out. Mario trotted after them anyway.

"God Samus, go berserk why don't cha?" growled Link sarcastically.

"You_ know_ why they can't know that story…brr…"

"I know but, honestly-"

"C'mon Sam!"

Kirby leaned to Bow. "Don't worry- I'll tell you on the way to then next room…"

"Why?"

"Because someone asked."

* * *

"Okay you guys! Where should we teleport this time?" a younger Link asked a ten-year old Sonic and ( a bit older than) toddler Kirby, wandering around Dreamland because Kirby had wanted to show off where he lived.

"I don't know…hey, let's randomize it!" Sonic decided.

"How are we supposed to do that?" wondered Kirby. Sonic grabbed Link and Kirby.

"Like THIS!"

They suddenly disappeared, then reappeared in a whole different world, inside a building of some sort. Sonic let go of his pals and proudly folded his arms.

"Where did you take us…"

"I think it's some place called "Metroid", but there's nothing really here, so let's-"

Suddenly, something soared past Sonic's face, but he dodge dit in time, and it crashed into the nearest wall.

"_No one_ misses my missiles…" a voice called, obviously irritated. "I recommend you get off this planet before I blow it up-or better yet, before** I** blow **you** up!"

The figure stared blasting more projectiles at the trio, sending them running and dodging down the corridor. Link yelped when one knocked his hat off, but he quickly caught it and continued to run.

"Great place to pick Sonic! Now we have some guy in a robot suit trying to kill us for no reason!" sneered the swordsman sarcastically.

"You're only complaining because you're too slow to dodge all the missiles!" Sonic scoffed back, only to be skinned by how close the things were. Kirby suddenly stopped running and turned around.

"I've got an idea!"

"Kirby! No-"

He waiting for their pursuer to catch up, then floated above their head and swallowed them.

"HEY! What the?!"

Kirby spit them back out, turning into a copy of the chaser. "Prepare to have a taste of your own medicine!"

He had claimed a cannon of his own, blasting randomly. The figure's suit managed to shield most the damage, but when Sonic spin dashed the helmet, he accidentally caused it to break.

"Whoa! Sorry about you suit…_mam_?!" he guffawed. "GUYS! We've been chased by a girl!"

The woman inside the suit appeared unphased at all the laughter, though still wasn't attacking anymore. Link walked up and slapped his hand against her shoulder.

"Ah, for a second, I though you really were trying to blow us and this planet up!"

"**I was**. My name's Samus Aran: the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy-and soon to be universe."

"Can I just call you Sam for short?" Sonic asked. Samus' tone suddenly changed.

"No you can't! Now all of you need to get off here before it explodes-or else!"

"We can just teleport out-no worries!" Kirby assured.

Samus blinked. "Teleport? Like magic? Yeah right."

"yep! Everyone can do it!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Then why haven't _I_ been able to?"

"Because you haven't had a will to leave your own world!" Link explained. "That's sort of what pushes you to use the power-the fact that you're tired of doing the same thing over and over again, and want to see how someone else lives…"

"The grass is always greener!" chirped Kirby. Samus softened up a bit.

"How do _you_ know that I _don't_ want to leave? Maybe…I do need a little change…" Samus sighed. "I'm tired of saving these worlds- I'm ready for a change!"

"The code phrase!" gasped Kirby.

Sonic, Link, and Kirby all grinned. "You're one of us then!"

"**Whoa**! I'm _not_ going with some random strangers!!"

Sonic tapped his foot. "Well, this planet _is_ about to implode, and since we've wasted your escape time, I think you're coming with us whether you like it or not!"

Link and Sonic grabbed Samus while Kirby cheered that they met a new friend.

"Let me go!!! I'm not you're friend, and there's no way you dorks can teleport!!!"

"Show her Kirby!"

Kirby laughed before teleporting, the only sound heard was a faint female scream followed by a huge explosion-probably one the size of a planet.

*^*

They returned back to Kirby's world, the guys panting at how close they were to death. Link grabbed Sonic and wheezed. "Never…randomize us…_ever_…again!!"

"C'mon-it was probably fate! We met another hero (I think) that wants to see some other worlds! What's wrong with that?" defended Sonic. "Hey- where'd she go?"

"I can't believe it!! This world is _so_ colorful! No vast empty space, no aliens trying to kill you…I'd never think anything like this existed! And the way he teleported-can I really do that too?!?" Samus exclaimed excitedly, even dancing around. "I'm filled with hope again! It's _beautiful_!!!"

Sonic and Link suddenly burst out into a mad cackle.

"Some scary bounty hunter **she** turned out to be!" howled Link. "Cue the butterflies and the rainbow!"

"Oh! It's so beautiful! The colors!" Sonic mocked. "What's next? Catching a bird on your finger?!"

Samus froze in mid-dance step to realize what she was doing. In the same move she had her canon aimed at both of their faces-somehow.

"If you **_EVER_** tell **_ANYONE_** I did _**ANYTHING**_ like that, I'll _**KILL**_ you, do you _**HEAR ME**_?!?!!" she roared. Sonic and Link swallowed their upcoming guffaws and sweat dropped, even grabbing onto each other from the sheer fear she was sending down their spines. What happened to the dancing girl in the meadow?!

"We promise!!! I swear!!"

"I'm too young to die!"

Samus' anger quickly melted into amusement. "Hmm…you guys are pretty understanding…you **mean** it?"

"YES! DON'T KILL US!!!"

"You're insane! INSANE!"

She then got serious. "…so we're_ really_ on a different world, and we _really_ teleported?"

"Sure did! There's even more worlds out there, some _we _haven't even discovered yet!" Link explained.

"We can teach you how to teleport-" began Sonic.

"Really?! That'd be-"

"-if you promise we can be friends, you travel with us, and I get to call you Sam occasionally."

"What kind of a compromise is that?!" guffawed Link.

Samus thought it over. "Well…actually, you're the first ones to ever accept me as a friend right after I tried to murder you, and I don't have very many friends…"

"_We can see why…"_ grunted Link. Samus kicked him and he fell over in a yelp.

"…and you're my kind of people. I'm okay with the friend part…"

"You'll also need some people to help you once you learn how to teleport!" put in Kirby, returning from chasing a butterfly as soon as they arrived.

"Plus we can show you some pretty cool places…" whimpered Link, rubbing his leg. Samus nodded. She turned to Sonic.

"Hey…what's your name?"

"I'm Sonic…Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"I'll let you call me Sam if I get to call you Nic!"

"_What?!_ No- that's stupid!"

"Then I'm not going with you!"

"Honestly Sonic- it's just a stupid name!"

"I **know** it's a stupid name- that's why I'm not letting her-"

"That's not what I meant…"

Sonic grunted, but muttered "Fine…whatever…" under his breath. Link dramatically introduced himself while Kirby bounced around happily and even gave Samus a hug. Though she didn't show it, Samus smiled and felt she had made the right decision.

* * *

"See, she never made me promise not to tell!" Kirby finished with a smirk. Bow chuckled behind her fan and glanced at everyone slightly keeping their distance from Samus, but for good reason. They finally reentered the blue-carpet room, and their famous plumber hero went up another set of steps. Taking a left, and going through another door, they came to a room with a Dry Bones, and several colored blocks. After several failed attempts, one realization to use Bombette, and many more anger episodes, they managed to work their way up the three-colored blocks to enter an area with…an _Ultra Shroom_!!!

"We did all that for nothing!" muttered Kooper with a broken arm that was going to be healed when they returned to the Inn.

"I know! I got a bruise for a stupid piece of fungus!" whined Sushie.

"Hey! That stupid piece of fungus saved my life!" defended Sonic. "You know, the one you almost killed!"

Sushie cringed. The only one who seemed excited by the find was Link, who was holding the treasure with sparkles in his eyes.

"Yes! Another chance to taste you, my sweet!" he purred.

Mario, Sonic, Kirby and Samus: WTF?!?!?

Link: ??????

The swordsman slipped the treat into his bag and was filled with the excitement and energy to keep going. Mario agreed cautiously and backtracked everyone to the blue carpet room, only to go to the opposite side of the room. As predicted, there was a door, but a completely different room. They trudged up the steps, encountered a Hammer Bro. with his endless hammers, and another room with color blocks was found.

"Bowser isn't very original…" stated Sonic as Link navigated the elevating cubes. The Magikoopa scouting the room sent a blast of magic his way, but a quick Spin sent it right back. "Too easy!"

"That _was_ easy!" called Link, holding the gold key in his hand.

"But where's the locked door at?" wondered Kirby.

"I'm sure good ol' Mario remembers!" Samus put out.

"Either that, or we haven't found it yet…" input Parakarry.

Mario nodded to Parakarry, and explained that they didn't quite explore the bottom part of the lower room, which was probably where the locked door was. Link claimed Mario was one smart cookie, Sonic agreed, Kirby said he wanted a cookie, and Samus ushered them back on track. Mario shrugged, as usual. It really wasn't a big deal to him.

* * *

"DIE MAGIKOOPA!" wailed Samus, aiming her cannon at the floating koopa magician. It was killed, and the battle was over. They had also fought off two Hammer Bros., but they were easy prey. With a "Yipee!", Mario leaped over to the door (where he predicted it would be) and removed the locked obstacle.

"All right, this is a bit weird…" said Lakilester, referring to the cage like room with two forks in the road.

"I know what this is! It's one of those tricks where there's a certain way to get past several rooms!" Samus explained. "If we choose a wrong door, we have to start all over!"

Mario also added that he had been through challenges like these before, and they weren't a cakewalk. Then, everyone looked at Link.

"What're you looking at _me_ for?"

"You're the one with the adventuring sense!"

"Can you use it to detect the way out?"

Link: O.O

"I could try…but no guarantees!"

Mario let Link take over, and after that it was all relying on his instinct. The first room, Link went up the stairs and through a door, the second room south, third south, fourth north, fifth south, and he had a little issue in the last one.

"Ah…I think my senses are going haywire!" Link grumbled.

"This can only mean one thing…we must do eenie meanie miney mo!" Kirby deduced.

"You're not serious, dear!"

"As serious as a heart attack!"

Kirby proceeded to do the random picking process, then added on the "Dish Rag" part.

"And you are not it you dirty, dirty, dish rag…you! So we go north!" he figured out. "Is that cool Link?"

"I think you might be right!"

"And if were wrong, we just go the same way we came and go through the opposite door!"

"Works for me!"

Kirby led his pals through the north door, and was ecstatic to see he was right!

"Uh…you _do_ know the lights behind the screen in the first room would have told us where to go, right?" Lakilester asked.

"You mean you _knew_ the entire time and I wasted my sense for _nothing_?!?!" screeched Link.

"I thought you were basing it off of that. It seemed pretty obvious to me…"

Link: *'o'

Lakilester: *-_-

Samus: KOOPATROL!

Sonic: NO!

Samus, of course, aimed her ever-feared Ultra Cannon at the innocent enemy. Sonic stated she need cannon rehab and groaned when he, once again, lost an opportunity to battle. Sometimes, that cannon really got on his nerves. Sonic wondered if she even had two arms.

* * *

Continuing down the bridge the lone Koopatrol was on; a few battles actually took place. They took a right, and to everyone's shock they found…Princess Peach?!?!"

"Peach! What in the world are you doing here?"

"Oh Mario! I managed to escape from Bowser!" Peach explained. "There's no need to fight now, so we should get out of here!"

Everyone: HUH?!?!

Mario arched an eyebrow while the rest just gawked.

"I bet you're not Peach…there's no way!" Sonic confirmed.

"Of course I am!"

Sonic wasn't buying it. "Kirby…do you mind giving her a few good whacks?"

"Uh…I don't know…"

"I'll give ya a Maple Super!"

"DEAL!"

Before Mario had a chance to react, Kirby was swinging his hammer in every direction possible. Every hit made contact with Peach, and Mario cringed and turned away. When she turned into a Duplighost though, he was _mad_.

"See? Link has the adventuring senses, I have the trap senses!"

The Duplighost complained about him being found out, and began to attack the gang. Mario was so outraged he used his Up and Away to turned him into a star and finish him off instantly. Samus and Sonic muttered about how they never got to join in on the fun. Mario, his hand still in a tight fist, punched the ground where the Duplighost once stood. How _dare_ he think about impersonating Peach! If he didn't trust Sonic so much, he would've fallen for his trick. Link walked over, placed a hand on his shoulder, and he relaxed.

"We're almost there Mario. Don't let all your fury out until we reach Bowser, okay?"

"Uh huh! We can't have you wailing on us!" Sonic winked.

"We'll join you!"

"And beat the living-"

"_Samus!"_

"What? I was going to say snot out of him!"

"oh."

Mario was so lucky to have such supporting friends. The ones that would help you kick your worst enemy's butt were the best.

* * *

"Joy. Another guard door…" huffed Sonic. At the end of the corridor was…a door, and once they entered another Guard Door sat in the way. What horrifying test would they have to go through this time?

Just then, the Koopa Bros. appeared out of nowhere, doing their trademark sparkle-snap.

"Here come the Koopa Bros.!" they shrieked. "I bet you never thought you'd see us again, huh Mario? You _do_ remember who we are, don't you?"

"Well whaddya know?" Sonic snickered, crackling his knuckles. "It's the ninja team that tried to hold me captive! This might be fun!"

"Now they're going to beat you within an inch of your life!" the Guard Door belted out. "Feel like running away, worms?"

"Yeah right! I could beat them all 20 times over!" chortled the hedgehog.

"Tell ya what: if you beat them, I'll let you through. Of course, you'll fail…"

"This'll be easy! We practically _served_ them their loss-and they ate it!" trashed Link.

"Don't think we're like before!" Red snorted. "We've increased our power beyond or wildest dreams! After you trounced us, we learned a new trick and trained all day, everyday. We're not the Koopa Bros…"

"You're idiots?"

"NO! We're the Super Ultra Mighty Koopa Bros. the Great! Check out our coolness!"

"Where? I don't see it!" Samus cackled, sending the gang into a fit. She then stopped laughing and threw on her helmet. "I'll blow up the yellow one!"

Yellow shrieked and hid behind Black. "No! I don't wanna be blown up!"

"Man up Yellow!"

"But...did you hear the evil in that cackle?! She's probably possesed!"

Link pulled out his sword and grinned evilly at Green. "I'll take Green out again!"

Green hid his gulp, remebering the scar Link had given him.

Kirby suddenly pulled out a chainsaw and look terror-crazed at Black. Black yelped as Yellow went to hide behind Green instead. Bow-and probably everyone in the room- gaped at Kirby.

"Why, how, and when did you get the chainsaw?!?"

Kirby looked at it, then blushed. "What? This old thing?" He tossed it over Yellow's head, sending him into insanity and running into the guard door. "I meant to pull out my Final Cutter!"

Mario: Yeah, okay…

Sonic walked up to Red and picked him up by his bandana with an odd look on his face. "You know, if I can't blame Sushie for almost dying, I'd blame you. I only ended up on that island because I ran over the ocean. I ran over the ocean because I ran through the desert. I ran through the desert because I was running away from you, and your stupid brothers!"

Everyone started at Sonic, wondering where he was going with this.

"you think you can get off talking to us like that? You're sadly mistaken ya RAT!" Red yelled, tugging on his bandana. "No one can beat the Super Ultra Mighty-"

"I'd probably shut it Red," Green pointed out bluntly.

"I'll totally laugh if he owns you dude!" added Black, still keeing an usure eye on Kirby.

"Like this chump can really bring it on? Please!" Red scoffed.

"He really shouldn't have said that!" Link gulped. Sonic twitched.

"I'd like to see you _stop_ me! All the time, even when I was captured, I was thinking of how I was going to show you no one makes Sonic the Hedgehog run away…and now I get my chance!"

He reeled back his other fist, ready to pound some koopa, until a very-terrified-but-too-macho-to-admit-it Red suddenly pointed behind him.

"What's that?!"

"Nice try punk!"

"I'm freakin' serious!!!!"

"What the heck is that egg baby doing here?" Black belted out, causing everyone to look behind them.

"I found you, Mario…and your stupid elf friend, and that freakish puff, and the robot, and the rat!!!"

"For the love of rings, I'M NOT A RAT!!!!"

Jr. Troopa ran straight into Mario, which Mario dodged with ease, and then into Green, who flew into the air with a high pitched scream.

"Ha! Green screams like a girl!" mocked Red as Sonic dropped him in surprise.

"I don't think now's the time for that Red…" Black told him gently.

"Yeah, I'm sure-YEEEEE!" Yellow was sent into the air, then Black, then Red.

"Pwned!" Kirby called.

"That ain't cool dude…"could be heard coming from Red. Everyone looked up to see them crash through the ceiling.

"I almost feel bad for them…" Kirby mused. Jr. then jumped in front of them with an evil grin.

"Aw! I wanted to blast the mask off that yellow one…he seemed like a wimp…" whined Samus.

"At last! You're mine! It was a pain finding you, you know? Today, at long last, I'll settle the score with you!" Jr. ranted. Link sighed and pulled his sword close.

"You wanna know something kid? I'm really tired of you. You've been stalking us this entire trip, you never seem to get that you'll never win, you harassed me in your stupid little playground, and I WANTED TO BEAT THE KOOPA BROS.!"

Sonic pounded his fist into his palm. "Tell me about it."

Link raised his sword into the air. "I see how it is. You were the first enemy Mario has fought on this adventure, and now you're going to be the** last**! This time, we're showing no mercy!"

"What about Bowser?" Kirby innocently asked.

"Bowser isn't an enemy…he's a boss!"

"Oh…then let this battle end in**_ MURDER_**!!!!"

Bow: *sighs* -_-

Samus cackled insanely while getting a missile ready. Kirby had his Final Cutter ready to do the Final Blow. Sonic break danced violently on the floor. Link glanced at Mario, who had his hammer ready to crack that egg once and for all. Jr. gulped.

"This is going to be so awesome…" Sonic laughed.

"We've thrown together a special move for Bowser…but let's try it out on you!" Samus cackled.

"You really need to quit cackling. It's really creepy…" Lakilester shivered.

"Sorry, got in the moment."

Everyone got into fighting stances. Jr. tried to look tough, but the sheer determination of pain on their faces nearly made him break dowm.

"Say it!"

"SUPER…uh, FIVE HIT?!?!"

"That's a lame name, but we'll fix it later!"

Sonic and Kirby jumped into the air, and Mario hit them both into Jr. with his hammer. Jr. took a massive amount of damage as the two balls bounced back and flew into Samus's Canon. She launched them both at Jr., causing even more damage. Sonic kicked him in the face while Kirby shouted that he cracked the top shell with his cutter. Link then rushed in and did and Jab on him. Jr. was so overwhelmed by the attack, that he collapsed and never got a chance to attack.

"That was way past cool!" Sonic cheered. "…but we totally need a new name…"

"Super Five Hit?" Samus asked Kirby.

"What?! How am I supposed to think of a catchy name in the spur of the moment?"

"How about the LMKSS?" suggested Link.

Mario: Hah?

"Well…all our initials slammed together!"

"how do you say that? Luh-muh-Kuh-suh-suh?"

Everyone stopped giggling to see Jr. throwing a fit on the ground.

"GOSH!!!"

He ran off, obviously peeved.

"You'd better stay away fool!" shouted Link.

"Here's one for the road!" shouted Samus, blasting another missile his way. He was hit by it and continued to crawl away.

"So? Since you beat the guy that beat the Koopa Bros., does that mean you beat the Koopa Bros.?" The Door asked, slightly awed by the events that happened before him.

"It certainly does!" Sonic smirked.

"There was no big difference between that guy and the Koopa Bros…you can go through."

Mario nodded and everyone went into the next area.

"Man! I wanted to throw Jr. out the window and make sure he fell in that stupid playground of his!" Link growled.

"Well, at least we beat him…" Bombette shrugged.

"no, **THEY** beat him!" Kooper input.

"Why do you think Bowser put the Koopa Bros. at the last door?" Samus wondered.

"Probably a little warm-up for what's to come," shrugged Link. "The good news is that we'll never have to see that little playground bully ever again!"

Link was right. Not just about Jr. never being seen again, but about what was about to come…

* * *

**So many good points...if I listed them, you'd all agree XD. **

** ZOMG!!! Bowser is up next! Which I divided his battle into two epic/awesome/marvelous chapters!!!! **

**On another note: WE'RE ABOUT TO HIT 200 REVIEWS!!! I knew I'd get 100, but _200_?!? Wow...that's incredible!! What better way to celebrate that than with an epic boss battle and then some? **

**P.S. Originally, I didn't have the part about how Samus joined the gang, but someone was wondering and a threw a little something together ;)**


	63. Beating Bowser Part 1: Starting the Show

**Here comes Bow-sah! This chapter kicks everything off, then a big BANG next time. **

**Wondering_ why _I posted early in the first place? Two reasons: One, the next chapter is too good to wait two weeks for; and two- 200 REVIEWS FTW! YEAH! Not only that, but my hits are OVER 9,000!! (literally-almost 10,000!). Plus...I'm just going to quickly finish this story up, and _then _only update Fridays for the sequal-no questions asked. If you were in my position, you'd totally understand. **

**So without futher a-rant, here we go with the Star Powered Showdown!!**

* * *

Paper Mario X

Chapter 62: Beating Bowser, Part 1: Starting the Star Showdown

_"… Probably a little warm-up for what's to come," shrugged Link. "The good news is that we'll never have to see that little playground bully ever again!"_

_Link was right. Not just about Jr. never being seen again, but about what was about to come…after all, it was an invincible 1 ton monster they were battling…_

They found themselves outside once again, and they all recognized Peach's Castle Door.

"Peach…" moaned Mario.

"Zelda!" cried Link.

"Amy Rose…" whispered Sonic. All three stormed ahead and wasted no time in entering the castle. The first door that piqued their interest was the large one at the top of the red velvet covered stairs.

"This is the room where we first met Mario!" Kirby recalled.

"Now's not the time to remember old times! We're about to fight Bowser, remember that?" hissed Samus.

"I'm just trying to think positive! Sheesh!"

Once on the second floor, Link ordered them all to the third floor. No one (except Kirby who made a face) complained.

"This is where we were separated…" Samus noted.

"…and where we tried to avenge Mario!" added Link.

"No, these are the stairs _leading_ to the room where we tried to avenge Mario and got separated!" pointed out Sonic.

"Smart-alec…"

* * *

_"Good night Mario!" Bowser cackled, finishing off with a mega fire breath attack that killed Mario right where he stood. He collapsed while Peach mourned over him._

_"Oh no Mario! Get up!" Peach sobbed._

_"Yes! Oh yes! I finally did it! I beat my rival Mario! YESSSSS!" Bowser boasted. The Koopa witch behind him added, "Congratulations on your victory your Viciousness! That's why you're the king!"_

_"As long as I have this Star Rod, everything I wish will come true! Nothing can stop me!" growled Bowser happily. "Well, well, well…I might as well give Mario a proper good-bye…" Bowser raised the Star Rod high, charging it with massive amounts of energy. With one fatal blast, Mario was propelled into the sky, most likely never to be seen again. Just then, Link, Kirby, Sonic, and Samus burst through the door with their weapons ready._

_"What did you do to Mario, Bowser!" Kirby yelled._

_"Even if you got rid of him, we can still defeat you!" Sonic cried._

_"You're not the first lizard I've faced!" Samus snickered._

_"Grwah ha! If Mario couldn't beat me, what makes you think you could?" Bowser taunted._

_"Give us something to work with," Link challenged, preparing his sword._

_Bowser laughed again as Samus tried to hit him with a missile. It didn't affect him to the shock of Samus._

_"Told ya I was invincible!" he taunted, giving her a mighty punch. It was enough to send her flying across the room. Samus thumped into the wall and slumped into a pile on the floor, her suit sparking with damage. Kirby gasped and pulled out his trusty hammer. Before he could smash it down on Bowser's head, the monster unleashed a blaze of fire, burned it, and left Kirby in the same state as Samus. Link and Sonic gave a nod to each other and dashed at Bowser at the same time. Sonic kicked him while Link hacked at the arm. Still no damage was done to Bowser. He laughed again._

_"I had a feeling you two would be the hardest. Can't expect the same from a round thing and a woman…"_

_"You'd better give that rod back before we have to deal with you!" Sonic scowled._

_"No way! With this thing, I'll not just rule the Mushroom kingdom, but Hyrule, Mobius, Popstar, Metroid, and all the rest of them!" Bowser bragged._

_"Not unless we find Mario and tell him!" added link._

_"I don't think so…I wish you forgot the last hour and were scattered across the Mushroom kingdom!" Bowser bellowed. The heroes didn't even get a chance to run when the rod sparked with power, sending them all into several places without one another._

_"Ha ha ha ha…I love this thing!" Bowser chuckled. Peach cried._

* * *

Link and Sonic exchanged glances and stormed into the real room where they were separated. Everyone else stayed close behind. The first thing they heard was scared shrieks.

"Oh, Mario!!!! Help!!!" screamed Peach.

"SONIC! YOU CAME!" Amy gasped.

"Link…hurry…" moaned Zelda.

Said guys looked down the hall to see the three girls dangling from roped hooked to the ceiling.

"Princess! Don't worry! We're here now!" Link assured, whipping out his sword and rushing for Zelda.

_"I'm not going to tell him it's a trap…"_ Sonic whispered to Mario. Mario grimaced. Bowser flew down in a Koopa Klown Car, making Link skid to a stop. He gritted his teeth while Bowser laughed. Mario and the rest of the team caught up with him.

"Gra ha ha ha ha! If it isn't my old pal Mario! I've been waiting for you…I'm amazed that you've managed to come this far! How lucky…for me." Bowser chortled.

Everyone had game faces on.

"You've been a distraction far too long, little men! It'll be a pleasure to squash you personally! Again!"

"MARIO!!!"

"SONIC!"

"LINK!"

Link and Sonic: Hurgh…

Mario: 'o'

They ran toward the three, only to have Bowser jump in front of them.

"Move you monster!" warned Sonic. "Or else!"

"Fool! You can't beat me! I'm invincible!!!!!!!!"

Kirby and Samus joined up with the three at the last moment to participate in the battle.

"GRAAAAWWWWHHHH ha ha ha haha! All right Mario! Let's see your so-called power!"

Mario smirked and unleashed his Mega Smash on Bowser. Thankfully, it took a little less FP to use, and it did a good 8 on Bowser. The plumber had chosen Parakarry for the battle, and the parakoopa let loose with his Sky Dive. Bowser "humph"ed and jumped on Mario, only doing three. Link scoffed and used Hack. Bombette cheered at their so far victory and burst with excitement.

"All right, enough of that! Now witness the power of this fully operational Star Rod!" Bowser roared. He summoned all the power it had, and he started to glow a whitish rainbow of color. He laugh at his "invincibility".

"That won't last for long, stupid jerk!" Link smirked. "Are you ready guys?"

"Leave it to me!" answered Sonic. Mario gave a thumbs up. All three summoned the power of the Star Spirits, and three white beams rained down on Bowser with the seven Star Spirits circling around them.

"What the…ow! What in the world was that!?!?" Bowser squalled. "Gooooah? What happened to the power of that stupid Star Rod?"

"Idiot!" coughed Sonic, getting a high-five from Link. Kirby coughed, and then took his turn with a Final Cutter Slice. Bow cackled as she smacked Bowser repeatedly across the face with her pink fan.

"Graawwwrrggghh! You cheap little…coward! This fight's just beginning!" Bowser pulled out the Star Rod again, and it healed 20 HP. Kirby's jaw dropped as Samus paid him back with a missile form her cannon. That did him good. Lakilester tossed a Spiny at Bowser's head, making him dance around in even more pain. He attacked Samus with a butt smash, but she received no damage due to her defense. Sonic jumped in the air, spun around, and a Sonic Wind was unleashed onto Bowser.

"Yeah! How's that?!" Sonic shouted, wishing he could have more than one turn. Kooper got the last hit, which she used a stylish Fire Shell to do so.

Defeating Bowser gave them so many Star Points; they all leveled up yet again! Either that or they did a lot of battling. Mario, Link, and Samus took FP and Kirby and Sonic took the opposite.

"Gosh, you're not bad! How'd you get so strong?" Bowser wondered in awe.

"We're just that good!" Sonic bragged.

"Still, you're just an annoyance. That was like a warm-up for me."

"I'll show _you_ a warm-up!" hissed Kooer, getting ready to use Fire Shell again.

"Don't over do it, man!" Sonic warned, holding him back.

"Yeaeh, or I just might have to put out the flames!"

"I got this Sushie..."

"Just trying to help!"

Bowser scurried into the back of the room to snatch Peach, Zelda, and Amy.

"NOO!!!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

"MARIO, HELP ME!!"

Just as The five and their partners went to go help, Bowser had stowed them away on the back of his car, chuckling all the way. He flew out the window, calling out "If you want to save Princess Peach, you'd better follow me!"

"Let's-a go!" chirped Mario.

"you bet!" Samus agreed.

"Just wait Bowser!" Link murmured, tightening his fist. Mario guided them down the rest of the hall to the door that Peach, Zelda, and Rat Girl unlocked long ago. They climbed up a long staircase, and found Bowser hovering next to the bridge where the girls got caught. Bowser let out another laugh before flying even higher into the air. Everyone watched him go up as Mario opened the door on the other side.

"Oh joy! A spiral stairwell!" Kirby fake cheered.

"Quit being weak! I bet it's not even half as long as that tree!" Link snapped, already five stairs ahead of Kirby and gaining even more of a lead. He waited for everyone else before turning the knob on the last door.

"what's up with that bridge? It's like a piece of cardboard!" exclaimed Lakilester. It was purple with triangles decorated across it, and it was pretty narrow. Looking at it from the sky, you'd think it was a tightrope! Mario urged his friends across it, nevertheless, leading them to a Bowser themed platform.

"GRaaawwwhhhh ha ha ha ha! Welcome to your nightmare!" Bowser bellowed.

"You know, I'm starting to think his laugh is worse than Eggman's "Hohohohohohoho!" Sonic mocked, doing a bad impression of his enemy. Bowser stood in front of a green switch with an exclamation point on it, Peach, Zelda, and Amy stood trapped behind him, and Kammy hovered behind everyone with that evil, old, ugly stare of hers.

"You should thank me Mario."

Mario: Guffaws

"Since you've been my rival for so long, I've prepared a special arena for your defeat!"

He took one large bounce onto the green switch, and the "cardboard" bridge fell back toward the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Gwaa ha ha ha! Like it? You're completely trapped! How does it feel, huh?"

"Mario! Be careful!" yelled Peach.

"No…he's going to be reckless and jump off the edge! Of course he's going to be careful!" Zelda sneered.

"This is the worst time to be arguing!" Amy howled.

"Bleh neeya heh ha heh ha! You fell right into our trap! And you call yourself heroes?!" Kammy cackled. "Did you think we were foolish enough to sit back and watch as you saved the Star Spirits? I've put together a little surprise for you…a device that increases Bowser's power! King Bowser will be so powerful that not even the Star Spirits can compare! He'll truly be invincible now…thanks to my wisdom! Are you ready, my king? Then power UP!"

With a wave of her wand, Kammy made the beady eyes of the platform spark with power. Lightning struck the floor, and the spikes surround started spinning. A swirl spiraled under Bowser's feet, growing bigger and darker with power. Suddenly, one large bolt of white lightning struck Bowser and he started to grow. A green aura radiated off his shell.

"UUUUUAAAAaaaahhhhh! YES!!!!! Oh, Kammy Koopa! That was incredible! I feel like I'm exploding with power! Now I'll be able to defeat that cheeky plumber!"

Everyone took battle stances as Bowser thundered his large butt over to them.

"Hey you! Mario! It's not going to be like before, you mustached loser! Prepare to be beaten!"

Everyone: Sweat drops at the sight of Bowser having HP of 99.

Mario started with a Mega Smash, taking away 8. Parakarry did a simple SKy Dive, not wanting to waste too much FP yet. Bowser let out a roar and stomped over to give Mario a slash across the face. Luckily, he blocked, and the attack only took away 5 instead of the original 10. Link used his turn to hack, and Bombette added to the pain with a Bomb. They were doing pretty good…

"Guh huh huh huh! Time to increase my power with my good ol' Star Rod!"

"Big deal! We'll just cancel it out again!" Sonic snickered. He, Link, and Mario joined together once again to force three beams unto Bowser. It broke the moment it touched him, rendering it useless.

"GRwah ha ha ha ha! You idiots! That weak attack doesn't affect me anymore!"

"Oh no!!! We're in trouble! The Star Beam doesn't work? Oh, that bad monster is gonna beat us up now for sure…" sniffled Watt.

"We still have to try…" urged Sonic.

"Yeah…but that's doesn't mean we'll succeed…" sighed Link.

_With the way things looked now, there wasn't really much hope._

* * *

**Oh noes-the Star Beams don't work! Darn... ;) **

**If Chapter 41 isn't my favorite, it's definately the next one- way past awesome!!!**

* * *


	64. Beating Bowser Part 2 The Girls AreBeams

Paper Mario X

Chapter 63: Beating Bowser, Part 2: The Girls are Beaming

_"Guh huh huh huh! Time to increase my power with my good ol' Star Rod!"_

_"Big deal! We'll just cancel it out again!" Sonic snickered. He, Link, and Mario joined together once again to force three beams unto Bowser. It broke the moment it touched him, rendering it useless._

_"GRwah ha ha ha ha! You idiots! That weak attack doesn't affect me anymore!"_

_"Oh no!!! We're in trouble! The Star Beam doesn't work? Oh, that bad monster is gonna beat us up now for sure…" sniffled Watt._

_"We have to try…" urged Sonic._

_"Yeah…but that's doesn't mean we'll succeed…" sighed Link._

_With the way things looked now, there wasn't really much hope._

"Oh no! Brave Mario!" wailed Peach.

"You weren't kidding when you said he was tough…" pondered Zelda.

"What can we do…? The way things are going, Bowser will surely defeat them!"

"Poor Sonic…Link…Mario…Kirby…and Samus…" sobbed Amy. "Wow, that's a long list!"

"Somebody…please…Help Mario…" wished Peach.

"I call upon the Goddesses…give Link the strength to defeat this beast…" prayed Zelda.

"Oh, I need something or someone to aid Sonic! He isn't strong enough to beat him!" Amy cried to the sky.

"Why do you have to constantly run your mouth? Keep quiet!" snapped Kammy. If Zelda wasn't tied up, she would have choked her. Suddenly, as if their wishes had come true, Twink flew out of nowhere and kicked Kammy in the head. She fell off her broom and landed on the ground with stars revolving around her head.

"Oh, Princess Peach, are you all right? I'll get you gals out of those ropes!" Twink asked casually, as if Mario _wasn't_ fighting Bowser on the other side of the platform.

"Twink! I'm so glad you okay!" Peach giggled as Twink untied her.

"Bowser gave you a pretty bad hit, didn't he?" Zelda asked while being freed.

"TWINK! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Amy squealed, wrapping the little star in a hug. Twink laughed and wrestled out of it.

"You insolent little star! How dare you!" Kammy growled, indicating a fight.

"Yeah! Our first battle!" Zelda cheered.

"Um, I think only Twink is fighting…" Amy whispered.

"But we have weapons! Not sure about Peach, but…"

"You little whippersnapper! You're too young to fight me!"

Peach, Amy, and Zelda: WTH?!?!

"I…I'm not afraid to fight you!" Twink dared.

"Oh, be careful Twink!" Peach said.

"If I hear you say that again, I'm gonna flip!" groaned Zelda.

Twink tried his only move, Dash, on Kammy, but nothing happened.

"Nyeah hoo hee hah…Did I just feel a breeze? What that _really_ your attack?" mocked Kammy. Twink's confidence slowly went down. It was Peach's turn to go, and she focused on Twink.

"oh Twink…" she whispered. Power seemed to surge over Twink, making him gather…power. Kammy scoffed and created a yellow block, the same one she used to block Mario from getting out of Goomba Village way back in the day. It crashed down onto Twink, making him suffer three damage. Peach gasped and covered her mouth while Zelda and Amy filled with rage.

"I'm not going to sit back! C'mon Amy!"

"Let's do this!"

Zelda whipped up her light arrows and Amy pulled out her oversized Hammer. They both attacked at the same time, giving Kammy a double whammy! The female Magikoopa was dizzy from the bonk and in throbbing pain from the arrow. Twink took her lost turn to make another move, which succeeded.

"Ow! Why you little…I see you can fight a little…" Kammy wheezed. Peach wished for Twink again.

Kammy crushed Twink again, though Twink bounced right back. "Yeeooeee! What's going on? Why does it seem like that Star Kid's getting stronger?" Kammy wondered.

"Because we're making him stronger!" Zelda cried before striking Kammy again, along with Amy. She was dizzy and injured once again, so Twink dashed into her once again. Peach focused some more energy. Kammy summoned another block.

"I'm going to get tired of this endless cycle pretty soon!" Zelda remarked.

"Just fight sister!" Amy wailed while bashing Kammy once again.

Unfortunately for Zelda, it did continue like that, but not for long, because eventually when Kammy tried to attack, Twink ended up being so strong it didn't work.

"It…it can't be…my attacks don't work…oh…oh no!!! Now I remember…The Stars get all of their power from ordinary people's wishes…Peach's wishes are giving that Star Kid power!"

"YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE IT YOU WITCH WITH A B!" howled Amy, bonking her again.

"Ooooh! Good one!" complimented Zelda after her strike. Twink followed Zelda up with one last Dash that finally put her in her place.

"Ohhh…King Bowser…I have failed you…" she moaned.

"Oh yeah! We are awesome baby! **Z.A.P**!" cheered Zelda.

"Z.A.P.?" wondered Amy.

"It's our new group! Zelda, Amy, and Peach! I tried P.A.Z. but it didn't catch on…"

"Of course…" grumbled Peach. Shaking the minor setback off, she excitedly turned to Twink.

"Oh yes! We did it Twink! Now we must save Mario!" Peach hurrahed. "But…what can I do?

"What can we do!" corrected Amy.

"Don't uninclude us! We're Z.A.P. now! We zap!" Zelda added.

"I know Princess Peach! Make a wish!" suggested Twink. "Just like you did for me! Make a wish to give more power to the Star Spirits! Think of the Mushroom Kingdom, Star Haven, Mario…make a wish to the stars, thinking of all those things! If your wish is strong enough, it will reach the Star Spirits and give them strength!"

"Okay Twink…I'll try!" Peach assured.

"We'll help!" exclaimed the two other ladies.

"I'll go help Mario!" Twink said, flying over to said plumber. The girls placed their hands together, closed their eyes, and wished as hard as they could about everything they loved. Magic glittered around them, gaining power.

* * *

"Gra ha ha haha! What's the matter Mario? Feeling a bit under the weather?" Bowser teased. "You ought to work out more!"

Mario was breathing deeply again. He certainly wasn't in peril…yet, but he was already feeling tired. His friends were getting a little worried.

"This is impossible!" wept Kirby.

"I'd hate to admit it, but there's no way we can hurt him…" grumbled Sonic with his arms folded. Link sighed and glanced over to the girls wishing.

"Hey…what are they doing?" he wondered. The other three looked over too.

"They're wishing…" Samus concluded.

"Does wishing give Stars more power, maybe?" pondered Link.

"Let's wish too!" Kirby suggested.

"Worth a shot!" shrugged Sonic.

Kirby closed his eyes and gripped Link's hand, Link and Sonic joined together and prayed, and Samus reluctantly held Sonic's hand so she could wish too.

"Go Link!" cheered Bombette.

"You guys can do it!" yipped Kooper.

"Do it for me, if nothing else Kirby!" ordered Bow.

"Fight for freedom!" Lakilester shouted.

"We gotta beat the bad monster…" sobbed Watt.

"Let's see some action!" Parakarry called.

"Um…whoo?" Goombario tried to praise.

_"Please stars…give us the power to help Mario and beat Bowser…we cannot defeat him on our own…"_

Just like Z.A.P., they started gilltering with magic too.

_~-*-~_

Twink flew onto the scene and Dashed into Bowser. Bowser made a face in surprise and turned around to see what hit him. With his back turned, Eldstar appeared above Mario's head.

"Oh my!!! I felt power flooding into me!" he exclaimed. The rest of the Star Spirits poofed next to him, also overloaded with power.

"Honorable Star Spirits! I'll do what I can do help!" Twink told them.

"Twink?!? What a surprise!" Eldstar gasped. "I feel…the wishes of Princess Peach, her friends, the other worldly people, and all of the Mushroom Kingdom are giving us power! Perhaps _now_ we can match Bowser's Strength!"

"Now! Mario! Don't give up! Everyone's behind you! Receive our power and do your very best! Power up the Star Beam!"

Power whooshed into Mario, giving him even more power than what was thought possible! The same thing happened to Link, Kirby, Sonic, and Samus. A Master Sword appeared in Link's hand, along with him being able to use the Zelda Beam. Sonic gained the Rose Beam ability, and as he did, his usual blue fur was slowing turning into a blazing golden yellow. His eyes went red, and when he opened them, he was Super Sonic. Floating a few feet off the ground, Sonic looked down at Samus whose cannon was upgrading so much that it was able to control the Zero Laser. She gasped in joy and surprise at how her long-life dream had finally come true.

"Think of the damage I can dish with this little baby!" she cackled.

"I'm honestly afraid to find out…" admitted Sonic, slowly floating away from her with a gulp.

"What can you do Kirby?" Link asked while admiring the purple-handled sword.

"Uh…I don't know! I just…" the pink puff moaned. He was suddenly scooped up by his Dragoon rider, soaring into the air.

"Too bad this is only temporary!" he sighed right before doing a corkscrew. "YEAH!!!!!!"

"Whoo-hoo!" Sonic hurrahed, zooming around the area 50 times with a yellow streak tailing behind him.

"Show-off!" Samus called, trying her best not to waste her Zero Laser.

"Ah, you're just jealous that _you_ can't fly!" tisked Sonic, waggling a finger while hovering around her head.

"Hey! Mario got a Peach Beam!" Link pointed out, trying to direct some attention to the plumber.

"Awesome!"

"Now we can show Bowser what we're really made of!"

"Wha…what's going on?" Bowser questioned. Everyone stopped celebrating and returned to the battle with fighting posititions. Bowser was dumbstruck. "Mario! Are you still standing? You should give up now!"

"Not a chance!"

"You wish!"

"Prepare to eat your own Star Dust!"

Mario, Link, and Sonic jumped next to each other and raised one hand in the air.

"Zelda Beam!"

"Rose Beam!"

Mario: Peach Beam!

The Star Spirits- now with Twink- came down above their heads, and then released the power of the three beams. Bowser's invincibility broke on the spot.

"Gwaaaa-huh?!?! You've gotta be kidding me! My Star Rod power's gone!"

"Sorry Bowser! It's not a joke _this_ time!" Link taunted. Bowser gritted his teeth. Mario cheered and used Star Storm, giving Bowser another taste of Star Power. Parakarry pulled himself into his shell and spun into the big baddie. Bowser stomped over and Squashed Mario, doing only 5 once again.

"Yeah! Let's see what my sword can do!" Link exclaimed. He waited a brief moment to charge it up, then sprung forward and hacked Bowser on the nose. It did a whopping 12!

"Whoo! That's just as good as my Last Lash almost!"

"That's awesome Link!" Bombette giggled. Even if she felt a little outshone when her bomb only did a little more than half that much, she still couldn't help but be proud. Bowser lifted the Star Rod above his head again, healing him a drastic 30.

"Wow…that stinks…" pouted Kirby as he skyrocketed into the air, then soared straight into Bowser. Kirby dished out 10, and then Bow smacked away 8.

"Get ready Bow!" Kirby warned. He stood his ground, waiting for Bowser to make a move. Bowser looked smug for a brief moment, and then blew fire at Kirby's direction to give him a dose of what he had felt. But Kirby grabbed Bow and ducked sharply to the right, barely being touched by the heat.

"Wha? It didn't do anything! NOOO!!!!" Bowser boomed while stamping his foot angrily. Kirby struck a pose.

"That's my strong man!" Bow laughed while wrapping Kirby in a hug. Everyone gagged.

"Now's not the time to get a mushy! Sheesh!" groaned Sonic. Kirby blushed.

"You wanna make something out of it?" Bow threatened, jerking a fan up to his throat. Sonic gave a peace sign and jumped behind Sushie.

"Everyone…back up!" Samus demanded, an odd look on her face with her canon held high. They saw what she was about to do and immediately moved a great distance away from her. "YEEEEEAAAAHHHHH!"

She launched the ever-feared Zero Laser, blinding everyone on the little platform. The size and power of the attack was so great, even _Bowser_ shook with pain. Samus was pushed backward a little bit, the force of the beam practically taking control of her arm.

"**Is that thing even** **safe?!?!"** Lakilester asked.

"Not for Bowser! I just hope my suit holds out…" Samus replied.

"What do you mean?"

"If I use the Zero Laser too much for too long, my suit will cave and crumble off!"

"Don't you think you should stop now?!?! _You've already done 20 damage to Bowser_!!"

**"I _DID!?!?!_ ALL RIGHT!"**

Link sighed and manually turned her laser off. Samus was so ecstatic she didn't even care her moment was ruined. She did 20 damage for crying out loud! She would have danced if Lakilester wasn't keeping her sane. Lakilester didn't want to think about how much FP that laser drained, so he swallowed a quick Jelly Super. After that embarrassing beating, Bowser made himself invincible again, with hopes that Super Sonic couldn't hurt him.

"What's wrong? Afraid of a yellow hedgehog, are we?" Sonic chortled. "That right there has me beaming!"

"BURN!" Link dissed, following Sonic's lead and helping him out with Zelda beam. Mario helped out too, and Bowser (YET AGAIN) was stripped from his Star Rod invincibility. Bowser erupted and raised the Star Rod once again. He called forth an attack that shocked Sonic, also taking away a good 9.

"Gra ha ha ha ha! How's that, ya rat?"

Sonic was still sparking with electricity a little. He regained his composure and look Bowser dead in the eyes.

"Urgh…nice move. But now I'll show you!" he cried. Sonic rose into the air, way above Bowser's head. His arms went ablaze with a yellow light. "Here we go!"

"Go Sonic!" cheered Link. Sonic winked and sped at the speed of light into Bowser's stomach. Bowser recoiled with a very loud "OOmph!" and fell onto his back. Sonic rained down again with a Super Sonic Spin Dash. It was twice as powerful as the normal one, and it totally trashed Bowser.

"What's wrong? Can't stick to me?" Sonic flew around frantically, with Bowser swinging his stubby arms in every direction. "You're too slow!"

"Hold still you little…" growled Bowser. Eventually, Sonic had criss-crossed Bowser so much that the beast got exhausted and need to put his arms down. Sonic showed him mercy and floated next to Kooper once again.

"That's how it's done!" he boasted. Kooper felt really ashamed when his little shell attack only did 5. Sonic told him that at least he was trying his best _and _was even brave enough to be there in the first place! After a wink and a thumbs up, Kooper smiled back.

"This battle's not over yet!" Bowser grunted. He made himself invincible once more to force the team to waste a turn to use Peach/Zelda/Rose Beam. He then used the Star Rod to give himself 30 more HP, just when he was down to 5.

"EVERYTIME!" wailed Kirby.

"Yes Kirby. And every time, we'll bump right back!" assured Sonic.

"Man! How can you be so positive all the time?" Kooper asked in awe. Sonic shrugged and smiled.

"It's how I roll!"

"I wished I rolled that way…"

"You'd be surprised Kooper..."

Sonic laughed a little bit as Mario dished out a Star Storm and Parakarry Sky Dived into the opponent. Bowser put on a smug look, then summoned the Star Rod once again. It unleashed a light attack that damaged _everybody_, including all the partners. All partners were injured, which meant no partner could be used for Link and Kirby's turn.

"Are you okay Bow!?!?!" Kirby panicked.

"I'm fine…just a little pain. I'll be back up before you know it!" Bow promised.

"You toughing it out Bombette?" Link wondered.

"Ow…not any worse than what the Koopa Bros. did to me!" Bombette smirked.

"That's good…Jab time!"

Link sprang in front of Bowser, and thrust his sword into him. Unfortunately, he didn't stick the command and only did half of what he could. Bowser chuckled and spewed fire in Link's direction. Link wasn't fast enough with his shield and suffered 5 damage. Kirby used his Final Cutter again, lowering Bowser's HP to a dangerously low number. Bowser was about to jump on Kirby, but then he remembered Kirby was acting pretty dodgy. Instead, he went invincible himself. Mario, Link, and Sonic groaned and let their beams loose onto Bowser. Bowser used his next turn to heal another 30 HP.

"That is so unfair on so many levels!" Samus murmured. "Let's even up the score!"

"Careful Sam…" warned Sonic. Samus was so caught in the spur of the moment, she almost didn't hear him. The Zero Laser roared to life and the same blinding light nearly tasered Bowser. Lakilester was extremely grateful that he had sunglasses. She continued to slightly move the weapon up and down, slowly doing damage to Bowser. She wanted to do more than 20, but Lakilester wouldn't let her and gulped down another Jelly Super. Bowser raised the Star Rod again and gave Samus a good shock.

"Yipes! Any stronger and he would have me short circuit!" she exclaimed.

"Not pleasant, is it?" Sonic jeered, preparing to take his turn.

The blue- I mean, yellow blur flew around Bowser at light speed, only for the human eye to see him as a yellow tornado. Eventually, when Bowser started to stagger, Sonic brought out his foot and made contact with Bowser's snout. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

"One more good hit, and Bowser's toast!" Kirby hurrahed.

"Then let's do it together!" Link decided. "C'mon Mario!"

Mario nodded and stood at the front.

"Say it Kirby!"

"SUPER LMKSS!"

Mario jumped on Link, who got on Samus' back, and Samus' feet were planted on a flying Super Sonic and Dragoon Rider. Mario and Link jumped into the air, allowing Samus to strike a missile directly into Bowser's face. She Screw Attacked off Kirby and Sonic, and they plowed into Bowser's torso. Bowser fell backward with a nasty roar, and Link came down on him with a Master Slash. Just as Bowser fought to get up, Mario suddenly crashed down on his head with a Spin Jump, permanently sending him to the ground. Samus in a _rare_ happy moment tackled Link and Sonic in a_ hug_, and Kirby jumped on top of them.

"We did it guys!" Kirby cheered.

"You'd better believe it!" Sonic winked.

Mario: Wa-hoo!

They all laughed as Bowser's power started to drain in streaks of electricity, also shrinking him in the process. Defeated, he fell flat on his face with a very discouraged look.

"ohhhhhhh, NOOOOOOO!" he moaned. "Mario defeated me…again. He always defeats me!"

"Don't forget about us!" added Link, Kirby, Samus, and Sonic, striking poses. Mario shot Bowser a smug look.

"This time I became invincible! And I STILL couldn't beat him! Darn it!!!!"

The Star Rod finally fell out of Bowser's evil clutches. It landed by Mario's feet, so naturally he picked it up. He held it above his head, and his team cheered and gave him pats on the back. The Star Rod shimmered for several moments before it eventually calmed down. Mario thumbed up everyone, and Link and Samus threw him in the air.

"Way to go Mario!" they said.

Mario told them he couldn't have done it without them, which made Sonic and Link get cocky and Kirby tried to be modest. Samus just folded her arms and bragged. Suddenly, a shockwave went over all of them. Kirby lost his awesome Dragoon Rider, Link lost his Master Sword, Samus couldn't do Zero Laser, and Sonic returned to his normal blue self. And none of them could use the beams any more.

"Easy come, easy go!" shrugged Sonic.

"SONIC!" Amy cried, running into Sonic's shocked arms. "I KNEW you could do it! I didn't doubt you for a second!"

"Amy…" trailed Sonic, slightly giving a sobbing Amy a hug. "You know I don't like tears."

"I know…" she sniffed. "But I'M SO HAPPY!"

Amy tackled Sonic to the ground in a scream of happiness as Zelda walked over to Link. Link waved, and she folded her arms.

"Hmph."

"What did I do?"

Zelda looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how worried I was? I've never been as worried as these last few times…I almost thought you weren't coming!!"

"Sorry Princess…" Link slightly hung his head, remembering all the times he "slightly" goofed off. Zelda's glum face broke into a smile and she actually laughed.

"I'm kidding! The look on your face was priceless!" She walked over and hugged him while whispering thank you. Link grinned really big (while sweatdropping) and claimed he was just playing along. Zelda guffawed and playfully hit his shoulder. Mario watched everyone being so happy; he almost forgot Peach. Luckily, she was calling to him.

"Oh Mario!" Peach waved. She and Twink trotted over to him, and Link, Zelda, Samus, Kirby, Sonic, and Amy Rose joined too. "Mario…I knew you would save me."

"Can you believe I almost didn't believe her?" Zelda asked.

_"Yes…"_ moaned Link.

"HEY!"

"Thank you Mario!" finished Peach.

"Thanks to all of you!" Amy added. She snuggled close to Sonic, and Sonic gave Link a look that said "Help Me".

"Ah, it was no big deal…" chuckled Samus.

"Samus! It's been forever!" Zelda cried. "We need to keep more in touch!"

Samus smiled and gave a small nod.

"Uh…I hate to rain on the parade, but…I think we're going to fall out of the sky!" Kirby shouted.

"What are you talking about now?" wondered Bow.

"Well, don't look down then…"

Everyone: Looks down to see the arena platform shaking like it's about to fall.

"OH NO!!!!"

Bowser sprung up after everyone screamed. "Huh?! I'm awake! Huh? What's going on? This isn't a part of my plan!"

"The entire platform is exploding!" yelped Goombario.

"I think we can see that!" shouted Link.

"What **is** that thing?" asked Amy.

"You don't want to know…" everyone groaned. Goombario stuck out his tongue.

"Yo! Kammy Koopa! What's with all the shaking?" Bowser asked the koopa witch.

"Uh, your kingdomship, the battle with Mario was so intense that my device for increasing your power seemed to have started malfunctioning." Kammy explained. "Uh…It's entirely screwed up, and its power appears to be heading back to your castle. I hate to tell you this, but both your castle and this spot right here are about to explode."

"I KNEW IT!" screamed Goombario.

"That's not good…"

"We must flee, my king! We have no choice!" Kammy cried.

"Wha…are you really…That's a big problem…let's get out of here right…Huh?" Bowser rambled. "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Everyone else: AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

A red flash blazed into everyone's sight. Bowser and Kammy Koopa were literally catapulted off the platform. The heroes all packed together; Link, Kirby, Samus, and Sonic gripping Mario, with the girls hanging onto their respective man. They all looked down below to see Bowser's Castle also detonating in the same red light.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!!" wept Kooper. "I'll never see my beloved Koral again!!"

"Don't jinx it Kooper!"

"Sorry…hypervenalating…"

"Wait…who's Koral?"

"That's ANOTHER story…"

Another bright flash emerged from Bowser's castle, and everything went white.

* * *

Only Peach's castle remained in the sky.

The Star Sprits each carried either one main hero or girl, with the partners hanging onto them. Kooper was still running his mouth on how thankful he was. Eventually, Samus got him to shut up with a Mushroom. The Star Spirits flew towards Peach's castle, and had them land safely in front of her front door.

"OH THANK YOU!" sobbed Kooper, kissing the ground.

"That was a close one!" admitted Sonic. "Even close for_ me_!"

Mario handed that Star Rod back to Eldstar. "Oh, Mario! Thank you! You did it! You brought back our precious Star Rod! I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We will use it to bring back peace to this world…and all the others."

Link, Sonic, Samus, and Kirby stood by each other and flashed cheeky grins. Zelda and Amy joined them.

"Now we'll be able to grant everyone's wishes again!" cheered Mamar. "All of this is thanks to you Mario!"

"When you look at the night sky, you'll know that the stars are praising you for your courage," stated Skolar.

"You really took it to Bowser! Really socked it to him! What impressive strength!" Muskular gasped.

"Mario…don't think we don't know how hard you worked for all of us…" Misstar said quietly. "It must have been difficult. We won't forget your efforts."

"Of course it was difficult!" snorted Sonic. "You were there at the volcano incident!"

"I hope Bowser learned something from all this. Maybe he'll behave himself now…although I'd say the chances of that are pretty slim. Tsk tsk…ah well…" chuckled Klevar.

"No words can express completely how grateful we are for all that you've done. Hope has returned…" finished Kalmar.

"And Twink! May I say…you really rose to the occasion!" Eldstar gaped. "You've proven yourself to be a grown-up star!"

Twink blushed. "Tee hee hee…aw, go on…"

"Well, I think it's time we returned to Star Haven. All of the stars are waiting for us there, no doubt. It's times to say good-bye for now, Mario! May the stars forever shine brightly upon you!"

One by one, each of the honorable Star Spirits returned to Star Haven where they belonged. But, they were one star short…

"Mario, and everybody…I'd like to thank you too…" Twink began. "And Princess Peach, Princess Zelda, and Amy Rose…It was an honor to help you in your time of need."

"My gratitude cannot be expressed to its fullest extent…and I'm sorry for yelling at you those few times…" added Zelda while curtsying.

"We wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for you Twink! Think about it! Without you, Mario wouldn't have even made it to Dry Dry Ruins!" Amy squealed. Twink smiled.

"I hope…maybe…to see you again sometime…for now, I'm going to be a respectable Star and make peoples wishes come true!"

Peach sniffled and put her hands together. "Thank you so much for helping me Twink! You've always been a stellar friend to me!"

Twink smiled really big, then he got an unsure face on as if he was about to reveal a big secret. "Princess Peach…I…I…Well…no, never mind. I have to go too! Thank you very much Mario. I'll always remember you Princess Peach! Good-bye…!"

And with those words, Twink left for Star Haven in his own little magic sparkle. Bow suddenly broke down and cried into Kirby, who held her in a hug. Bombette asked if Twink would be all right, and Link nodded. Lakilester claimed he was too manly and cool to shed a tear, but Samus laughed when one escaped past his shades. Peach wiped away a tear of her own as Amy jumped excitedly next to her.

"One day, do you think a wish we make on a star will be Twink?" she wondered.

"Maybe Amy…Maybe…" Peach answered, looking up at the sky. Peach scooted closer to Mario, who was also staring up into the sky. As was everyone else. Who wouldn't be?

_Twink floated as fast as he could after the Star Spirits, lagging behind a little bit. With one last glance, he turned around at gave a stare to Peach's castle. He smiled, knew it was the last time he would see it, and continued to fly away, leaving the castle to fall into the clouds, and back to the Mushroom Kingdom._

"Gah!" screamed Link, making everybody jump. "I just remembered something _**important**_!"

"What is it?" pondered Zelda.

"This _must_ be serious!"

Link frantically dug around in his bag and pulled out the Ultra Shroom.

"I forgot to eat this!"

Everyone smacked their heads.

"Was he like this on the entire trip?" Zelda sighed.

"That's not even _half_ of it!" groaned Goombario.

"_Finally_…after **all** this waiting…I can taste an Ultra Shroom!" Link dramatically moved the green mushroom closer to his mouth, slowly biting into it. When it hit his taste buds, he could have sworn he grew wings.

"I thought for sure he was going to faint..." mumbled Bombette with a chuckle.

"Well, I'm glad he finally got to taste one…" chuckled Sonic. "After all, I did eat his first one."

Zelda moaned and shook her head with a large grin on her face.

"Hey Peach! We still up for that party you were talking about?"

"Oh yeah! Hmm…I might have to move some things around, but I'll try to squeeze it in."

"COOL!"

Sonic, Samus, and Kirby kept staring at Link with hearts in his eyes, floating ten feet off the ground. Mario stood in front of him and snapped his fingers. Link snapped out of it and started a_ long_ speech about how good that thing tasted.

"My life's dream has been accomplished!"

"Great! Now you can accomplish some good jokes!" called Goombario.

"Heh…that was actually a good one!" noticed Bombette. Link scowled, but then ended up in laughter. Not even Goombario could put anyone out of their good mood. Link, Sonic, Samus, and Kirby huddled around Mario, waiting for the castle to return to the ground.

"It was a long, painful, dreadful, and fun adventure, but all that matters is that we're all okay now…" Link recited. "Hey…I wonder if I have another Ultra Shroom…"

"Aw_ Link_…"

"Okay, Okay…I'll eat it later!"

The group of four, now five, all exchanged joyful looks, knowing their job had been done.

* * *

**WOOT! The end! That's all folks! See ya next time!!! you've been great!**

**...kidding, kidding, sheesh. We've still got the epilouge, and even if this is the _technical_ end, the FINAL chapter ties everything up into a little neat package. (Which will be posted on SUNDAY)**

**Sister: And I get to guest star to thank everybody!**

**Yeah, yeah...but we're saving all the mushy stuff for the end. After all, sometimes the chapter is more important than the author notes!**

**Sister: Yeah. Okay...that's why you practically wrote a speech!**

**LIES! All lies! Anyway...****See you Sunday for the Not-so-grand-but-still-great Finale!**


	65. The Last GoodBye

Paper Mario X

Epilogue: The Last Good-bye

Mario sat at the table with Luigi, reading him the book Link wrote about his adventure. Luigi listened to every detail about what he had missed.

"…Ohhh. So that's it huh? That's how you took the Star Rod back from Bowser. It seems like another wild adventure in the books bro," Luigi deduced. "Especially the parts about your other worldly friends! Aliens, I'd say!"

Mario shrugged.

"The castle's back in it's normal place, and everyone's returned home safely…you came through in the end. Just like you always do!"

Mario nodded.

_Link, Sonic, Samus, Zelda, and Amy had a semi-dramatic good-bye, but said they'd be back before a week or two passed to give a surprise visit to Peach. Kirby wasn't ready to leave yet, and he looked at Bow. Bow stared back, her hand slipping into his and her crystal bows shimmering in the night sky. Mario _had_ a chance to see how they teleported from one world to the next, but he had to get Peach back to the castle before anything else._

"…I know you've been back for days now, but I'll bet you still feel like you're on kind of an adventure, huh? Don't you?"

Mario nodded again, snapping back to reality.

"That reminds me…the pals that traveled with you…I wonder what they're up to now…" Luigi pondered.

* * *

Goombario was playing in his front yard with Goombaria, who was _still_ laughing at all his misfortunes that she was told about. Suddenly, someone shouted, "GOOMBARIO!"

Both goombas heard and looked up into the sky. Parakarry came flying down, looking tired as usual.

"Hey Parakarry. What's up?" Goombario asked. "I thought you were back at work delivering letters."

"Ha ha ha! I sure am! This isn't a social call!" laughed the parakoopa._ "Certainly not with you either…" _he thought to himself.

"I dropped by to give a letter to you, Goombario! It's from Princess Peach." Parakarry handed said letter to Goombario.

"Huh? From Princess Peach? What's she writing to me for?"

"Probably to be a contestant on the World's Dumbest!" suggested Goombaria. Goombaria sent her a death glare.

"Read it and find out! I've got to deliver more letters!" Parakarry left without another word.

"Thanks Parakarry! See ya! Keep working hard, buddy! Take care!" Goombaria slid over to peek over her brother's shoulder as he read.

"hey, Goombario! What did Princess Peach write in her letter? Lemme see!" she whined.

"Hang on, Goombaria…Jeepers! This is an invitation to a party! At the castle! It says the princess is having a party and I'm invited to go have fun! Whoa! Whoa! Whoaaaaaa!!!"

Goombaria pouted. "Obviously she didn't get the memo about how stupid you are…" she murmured.

* * *

In Koopa Village, Bombette was on the path in front of Kooper's house, thinking about Link. She had come to talk, but Kooper was busy, so she was on her way back until she heard someone call her name. Parakarry fluttered onto the scene, spotted her, and flew down. They chatted about the letters, Parakarry asked if Kooper was around, Bombette said no, and Kolorado's wife ran up, talking about something else. Bombette's ears (if she had any) perked up when she heard about Kooper.

* * *

"Kirby…as much as I'd hate to say this, don't you think you should get back to your own world soon?" Bow asked quietly, floating up to Kirby and grabbing his hand.

"I know Bow…but there's no way I'm going to leave you!" Kirby replied scooting closer to her.

"Don't make me get mean on you!"

"But you don't want me to leave either!"

"It's not about what I want. It's about what's for the best…even if I was torn forever, I'd want you to be off helping people of your own world…"

Kirby squeezed his hand tighter. "I can't."

"But you could always come back!"

"Why is it like you're pushing me away? Do you want me to leave you?"

"NO! Not leave me! Never! I just think you've been here a while and need to see your home again!"

Kirby turned toward Bow and placed both his stubby hands on her shoulders. "Bow…I love you too much! I can't just leave!"

"But-" she was cut off by Kirby.

"Ahem?"

"WAHHGGHHH!"

Kirby repelled himself from Bow in the presence of Bootler and fell onto the floor. Bow giggled nervously from behind her fan. Bootler handed them both a letter; Bow cheered while clutching her fan as Kirby broke out into a wild grin.

* * *

Watt was back at the toy boy for some odd reason, although it could be because it was the only home she ever had. She was talking with three red Shy Guys when Parakarry showed up to give her the letter.

*^*

Sushie was babysitting the Yellow and Red Yoshis (who were sleeping under a tree) when she read her letter. The purple and green one ran by her, making her pull up from the writings to yell at them. The light blue Yoshi snuck a peek at what she was reading and decided to cheer for her.

*^*

Lakilester floated with Lakilulu and Parakarry in Flower Fields. He occasionally brought up Samus, but Lakilulu got sick of it and told him to knock it off. Lakilester tried, but he started to rant on once again when Parakarry gave him his letter.

*^*

In the still-feared Shiver City, the great Kolorado ventured along the paths, with Kooper at his side. Kooper briefly thought about what Link had told him, but stayed firm and loyal to his hero. And now here he was, going on an expedition with him and his two assistants! Kooper was the third, but he didn't care. At least he would be able to keep him on track if he went insane again.

"Now then, gentlemen…it's time to scale the frosty heights to the Crystal Palace! Kooper, old boy, you're in charge of guiding us, your prior experience is terribly important to the success of our expedition!" explained Kolorado. Kooper nearly jumped out of his shell with joy.

"Yeah! Leave it to me! I know the place front to back!" he boasted. Kolorado gave him a pat on the back.

"KOOPER!" called Parakarry.

"Huh? Parakarry? What brings you here?" Kooper asked.

"Phew…I finally made it. I have a letter for you from Princess Peach." Parakarry told him, handing him the envelope.

"Oh! Oh wow! This is an invitation to a huge party at Princess Peach's Castle! It's directly from the princess herself! It's got her signature on it and everything! Cool! Oh, there's no way I can miss a bash this big, but…" Kooper looked over his shoulder at Kolorado. "…but I can't just turn my back on this expedition I promised Prof. Kolorado…I should stay here and…"

"oh, poppycock! Balderdash! Don't be daft, dear boy! Turning down such an invitation would be terribly impolite. This is a golden opportunity!" exclaimed Kolorado. "Go to the party this instant! Don't spare me another thought! It would ruin the party if the hero of Koopa Village…nay, the hero of the _Mushroom Kingdom_ wasn't even there!"

"Huh…I knew you'd say that Prof. Kolorado! You're so kind and generous! I'll do it! I hope you guys will be all right without me! I'm gonna party!"

"_I hope you won't get yourself killed…"_ Kooper whispered to himself as he ran off immediately. Parakarry stayed behind and turned to Kolorado.

"Oh, Kolorado, I have a message for you as well…"Don't bother coming home, you wandering buffoon! What a no-good husband!"…That…was a message from your wife. Kolorado…you set out on this expedition without telling you wife again, didn't you? Boy, she was sooo furious!"

Kolorado was struck with alarm. "oh, goodness gracious…Pa puh puh puh…Parakarry! Why in the world didn't you tell me this first! This is a crisis, old boy! I must away back home with all due speed!"

Kolorado wailed on his way home, with Parakarry following him. Kolorado's helpers looked at each other many times before deciding to follow too.

* * *

"Go Bellosom!" cried Link, throwing the Pokeball on the ground.

"I chose you, Rapidash!" called Sonic. He looked at the opponent and nearly cackled. "Why do you have a Bellosom, Link?"

"Because, you tired out my Squirtle, Pikachu, Charamander, and even Starabia!"

"I have a question!" interrupted Samus with a raised hand. "Why are we here in the first place? We've already been here, and I wanted to go to Kirby's world!"

Link paused the battle to explain to Samus once again. "We can't go to Kirby's World because Kirby isn't even there!"

"Yeah, he too busy smooching it up with his girlfriend back in the Mushroom Kingdom!" sniffed Zelda who was sitting next to Samus.

"I thought you'd like to go somewhere a little more exciting Sonic!" Amy scoffed.

"Hey, Link wanted to see if the Pokenerd that thought Kirby was a Pokemon was still around! I'd rather have gone to Yoshi's Island, personally…"

"Enough chit-chat! Let's get this thing going!" demanded Link, his Pokemon all ready to go. Sonic sweat dropped.

"Uh…I don't know what moves Rapidash has…" he admitted.

_Sonic lost 20 experience points._

_Link lost his mind._

"Are you serious?" he cried. "…actually, I don't know either…"

_Link lost 40 experience points._

_Bellosom used Sleep!_

_Link fell asleep!_

_It's Super Effective!_

_Samus laughed._

_Link forfeits! Sonic gains 400 experience points!_

"Hey…isn't that that weird flying turtle you guys adventured with?" Amy wondered, pointing to something flying in the sky. Link woke up, looked up, and nodded.

"Yeah…that's Parakarry, isn't it?"

"Sure looks like it…" decided Samus, hand on her blaster.

"Wow! Everybody's here!" exclaimed Parakarry. "That's a relief. For a moment, I thought I'd have to go to several different worlds!"

"Hi Karry! Do you have a letter or something?" Zelda questioned.

"As a matter of fact, I do! For all of you!" Parakarry chuckled. He gave everyone their letter, with Sonic shredding into his. He sped-read and jumped in the air.

"Peach is having that party!" he cried. "Everyone's going to be there!"

"Even Kirby?"

"Yep! I already gave him his!" stated Parakarry.

"we get to see Peach!" sang Zelda and Amy, dancing around.

"I can taste an Ultra Shroom again!" sighed Link, remembering his first bite.

Before anyone could move, a Pokenerd suddenly arrived on the scene.

"Oh wow! A flying Pokemon that's not even in the Pokedex! That's Pokemazing!" he gasped. "Look at that large blue one! Oh, that's a keeper. Go, Seviper!"

"I'm not a Pokemon! I bet you're looking for that legendary Kirbyfluff!" gaped Sonic.

"Really?!!?"

"Yeah…he certainly isn't here!"

"Oh…I'll settle for catching you then!"

"Drat. I thought it would make you run off."

He sent Seviper to do Poison Fang, but Amy bashed his head back with her hammer.

"Don't you **dare** touch my Sonic!" she growled.

"You own that? And it's called a Sonic?"

"You've gotta be kidding."

"RUN!" Link snagged Parakarry and ran for Samus' Star Ship. Everyone wasted no time in following. After all, there was a party to crash- I mean, enjoy…

_They all gained 600 experience points. They learned Run Away!_

_Pokenerd stomped on his hat!_

* * *

Mario and Luigi: ?

"Huh? Did you hear something outside? I think I did. I'll go take a quick look," decided Luigi. He got up, headed out the door, and returned with a letter.

"hey, bro! guess what? Parakarry stopped by to drop off a party invitation from Princess Peach. He said that he's also invited to the party, so he took off and said he'd see us at the party when we arrived. Now, we'd better go, too!"

So the Mario Bros. headed outside and went down their very own pipe. In toad Town, Luigi said he had something important to do and he ran ahead. Mario shrugged and went his own way. On the way to the party, he saw all kind of familiar faces, and faces of those from other worlds! He saw Goombario's family, Kolorado getting yelled at by his wife, Knuckles and Tails having some sort of contest with Meta Knight and King Dedede, Malon trying to talk to Fox McCloud, but Fox was trying to get Falco to help him. When Mario pushed open the Star Gate for the fourth time, he saw a smorgasbord of even more people! The Yoshi chief was there with a few of his Yoshis, Mayor Penguin with his wife and a fellow citizen, two boos, Toads…and Kirby talking to Moustafa.

Mario called out to Kirby; Kirby turned around and waved.

"Hi Mario! I was just catching up a bit with Moustafa here!" Kirby explained. "I knew you of all people would be here! The others are inside. They sent me out here to wait for you, and Moustafa showed up!"

Mario reminded him that there was a party to get to.

"Oh...yeah…I'm starving! I need some of her cake!"

Kirby motioned for Mario to follow him, and he ran ahead. Mario laughed lightly at Kirby's motivation, and followed him in.

"Mario, welcome to the castle," said a very important looking Toad. "Princess Peach should be here very shortly."

Mario nodded, and looked around. Link and Sonic were having a whipped cream war, Zelda and Amy were happily dancing around in it, and Kirby was telling Samus about his adventures on his own that she didn't want to hear. He eventually gave up and tried to eat all the whipped cream they were showering. When Link got squirted in the eye, everyone fell on their backs as he laughed with pain. He wiped the substance out of his eyes and waved to Mario.

"Hi Mario! Long time no see!" he called. Sonic blasted him in the mouth.

"It's only been a few days, Link…" he told him.

"So? A few days without Mario feels like years!" Link replied, spraying his best friend in the ears.

"HEY! Now I can't hear!"

"I'll get it out!"

"Stay away from me Amy…"

Amy wrestled into Sonic's grip, trying to stick her finger in his pointy ears. Zelda attacked her with a starberry from the refreshment table, Sonic slipped on some whipped cream, and domino knocked down Link, Samus, and Mario. Kirby licked the whipped cream off and laughed at all of them.

"And now…Princess Peach!" called one of the Toad guards from the top of the stairs. Everyone quickly cleaned up, stood up straight, and tried to look innocent. Peach entered the doors, looking refreshed herself. Mario's bunch clapped.

"Greeting to all of you! I'm so glad everyone could be here on this special day," she began. "The Star Rod stolen by Bowser had been returned to its rightful place in Star Haven. Peace has once again returned to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Link belted out, getting no back-up when it was extremely quiet.

"Shut up! This isn't a pep rally!" snapped Zelda. Link blushed.

"Above us, the Stars shine with more beauty and power than ever before. It seems that they're sending us their thanks." She smiled, and glanced down toward Mario. "Mario…Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, Sushie, Lakilester…Tee hee! How could I forget Link, Sonic, Kirby and Samus? You guys were a big help too…!"

"All in a day's work!" bragged Sonic, striking a pose.

"I'd do it again if I had to…" bluffed Link, making a muscle.

"Oh, shush!"

"…and everyone across the lands of the Mushroom Kingdom, we've regain peace because of your efforts…Thank you very much, indeed. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. I hope that the Mushroom Kingdom, and many other worlds, will enjoy peace and prosperity for a long time to come. Perhaps forever! This is my heartfelt wish."

She bowed, and everyone clapped again.

"You know, I might have been wrong about her! She's a pretty good princess after all!" Zelda whispered to Samus.

"Don't judge a book by its cover!"

"That's pretty funny, coming from you!"

"Hmph. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that!"

Peach stopped bowing and looked back at her guests. "So…let's celebrate! Enjoy the festivities, everyone!" She lifted her hands, and everyone cheered.

"TIME TO PARTY!" Sonic shouted, and the people suddenly erupted in shouts.

"Let's get this thing started!" hurrahed Link, slapping Sonic a high-five. "Aw yeah!"

They ran into another room, everyone curious to what the heck they were doing.

"I'm afraid to see what they have planned…" Amy groaned.

Suddenly, Sonic came sliding out with a guitar attached to his neck, followed by Link dragging a drum set and Kirby had a kazoo.

"You've gotta be kidding…" moaned Samus.

"Why doesn't Kirby have a keyboard?" Zelda wondered.

"Maybe he doesn't know how to play!"

"Just wait until I bust my mad chops!" Link shouted, pounding a little tune.

"Let's rock and roll!" yelled Sonic, hitting an A flat. He started strumming, which was followed up by drumming, and then kazooing. At first, everyone was little skeptical, but as they got deeper into the song, everyone was dancing.

Samus stood in the corner with a bored look, although this was proven false when Zelda told her her foot was tapping.

"Even if my foot _is_ tapping, there's no way you're going to get me out there and move like a fool!" Samus grunted, foot still tapping.

"Fine. No one's forcing you…" Zelda trailed. Samus made a noise. Zelda, however, spun a few times on the floor and accidentally bumped into Amy.

"Amy! I'm sorry! …did you change your dress?"

"Yes! I'm glad you noticed!" Amy sniffed, smoothing out her manila dress, similar to her Rat Girl costume, only there was no mask, she had regular manila boots (instead of drapes stuffed down them) and her headband was set to match with white Amy Roses on the sides. She did have a cape though.

"Wow! You look pretty!"

"Thank you! I'm hoping when Sonic sees me swinging on the floor, he'll jump down and start dancing with me!"

"_Keep dreaming…"_

"What?"

"Nothing! Let's go!"

Zelda grabbed Amy's hand and dragged her to where everyone else was dancing. Bombette jumped on stage and started doing her own moves next to Link, who didn't mind at all. Kooper watched her, sighed, and thought about his lost expedition chance. Oh well. There was always next time. Besides…what if he went nuts trying to get a Blizzard Pot while an avalanche was about to fall on them?

Kirby had a kazoo solo, and when he was done Bow jumped next to him and kissed his cheek. Kirby kept playing, but was turning a deep shade of red. Bow and Bombette danced around the band themselves, making them the center of attention. The lights changes to several colorful spotlights, shinning off Bow's bows and Bombette's body. Kirby tried not to pay attention to his girlfriend.

"Yeah! Yeah! YEAH!" wailed Link, trying to sing.

"Link! Knock it off! You promised no singing! This is for dancing only!" shouted Sonic.

"Sorry! Our song is catchy! Buh duh bam dum, dah dum bah dum bam doo…bwah nah nah nah zoo zoo!"

Sonic was about to yell again, but ended up laughing. Link joined him, and watched everyone shaking it on the floor. Heck, they had ambushed Mario and pushed him next to Peach. The sight of Mario discoing was enough to make Kirby choke on the kazoo, which threw off the music a little. Bow stopped dancing to perform CPR, but an angry fan threw a Shroom at him, causing the kazoo to pop out.

"Dang. I missed the opportunity!" Bow pouted. Kirby laughed.

"There's always later!"

He finished up the song with another solo, then Sonic did a guitar one and Link a drum. They bowed, getting a roar of approval from all the guests. A bouquet of roses fell into Sonic hands, and he sweat dropped when he stared at Amy. She winked and waved. Just as she was about to spring, a marching band noise was heard outside.

"Hey! Is someone trying to out-stage us?" Link wondered worriedly. Peach walked over and laughed.

"Of course not! That's a parade I put together in honor of everyone! I was going to ask if you wanted to join, but you were busy putting together the band…which rocked by the way!"

"We should do this again sometime!" chuckled Sonic.

"Is that Luigi leading?!?!"

Mario ran to the nearest window and, indeed, saw Luigi all dressed up and leading the parade himself. That was probably his "top secret mission" he had to do. No surprise there! He blew a whistle, marched in place, and headed onward.

"I WANNA BE IN IT!"

"Well, hurry up then! The floats are rolling in!" Peach weaved them all away. Sonic jumped, scooped everyone up, called out "Here we go!" and rushed them all outside.

* * *

A small Toad band playing Trumpet sand drums marched by, followed by some Toad holding flags/banners. They were followed by Lakilester shaking both his hands together in one little fist. He floated in front of a float that was in the shape of the Star Ship filled with all the partners. Bow was laughing behind everyone with her fan, much to the annoyance of everybody. Bombette swung on the edge with Kooper behind her in case she fell, though he was still waving wildly to everybody they passed. Parakarry flew overhead, and Sushie bounced from the top part to the bottom. Goombario was sitting on the top of the float, but was pulled down by Watt and she took his place.

"We agreed _I_ would get the front!" he whined.

"Oh…um, yeah!" Watt answered innocently, happily stepping down.

"That was easy!"

Everyone came behind him and shoved him off the float entirely.

"HEY! YOU GUYS ARE AWFUL!"

They just laughed. Goombario clung to the bottom of the space ship replica and hoped he didn't fall.

A trio of Toad twirlers followed up, tossing their batons into the air and catching them stylishly. Quizmo and his assistant came just before the Koopa Bros., who were standing "coolly" on the float that resembled the horribly obvious fake Bowser. They stood on all fours as four Bob-ombs walked by, and blew them up again. They then stood in front of four burnt bros. and waved with an arm (who would've thought?) After that, Kolorado and his wife came riding on the "tuna" whale. It squirted water out of its blowhole, lifting both Koopas upward, giving them an even better view. Moustafa crept up next, only to stop to talk to an oncoming dog. Tutankoopa sprinted passed them, still being chased by a Chomp.

"Wow, Peach! You really went all out!" gasped Zelda, watching with her.

"Yep! I put literally everyone in this thing!" Peach answered. "Speaking of, why aren't you in there?"

"I'm waiting until some more pass by, just so I'll be able to watch some of it!"

Buzzar and Bootler came by, and Tutankoopa was now being chased by three Chomps. Buzzar had a nest filled with three chicks (or babies, whatever) and Bootler was trying to look dignified. He stopped to turn around, only to see an empty shell of Tubba Blubba being carried by Boos. The heart bounced by next, and all the boos, including Bootler, gave him a good scare. The Goomba King with Red and Blue goomba, Yoshi Chief with many other Yoshis and Raphael and Lava Piranha bouncing up and down on a large island float with a flashing "YOSHI" on it, the 5 Yoshi Kids, Huff N' Puff, and Gourmet Guy also passed by. The kids looked up at Huff N' Puff's puffs and ate them, making Huff shrink and Gourmet Guy make a face.

"you even put Gourmet in!" exclaimed Zelda weakly.

"He was a very important part of the entire thing, wasn't he?"

"sure, but he still scares me…"

The Yoshi Kids ran away, but Gourmet put on a hungry face, pulled out a knife and fork, and chased after the brown cloud. The Crystal King walked by, followed by another Crystal King. The second one turned the first one back into a Duplighost, with an angry expression. Then a third came, and revealed the second the be a fake too. He furiously shouted, and his crystal bits flew onto the scene and carried him away. The Duplighosts continued with the parade as Jr. was suddenly blasted back by another force of magic. Kammy Koopa defended herself again the Jr. koopa and they engaged in a magic war. Kammy and Jr. continued to fight around two high-in-concentrating Hammer Bros. juggling three hammers in front of a grumpy and pouting Bowser, not caring about anything else. The Koopatrols behind them carring flags quickly scurried away just before Kammy and Jr. cause an explosion, which ended up on Bowser. He stayed calm until he hovered in front of them in his Koopa Klown Car, and then burnt them with a fire breath.

Zelda's head jerked to Peach's. "You let BOWSER in?!"

Peach shrugged. "Something seemed missing, so I threw him in. Besides, I have a restraining order that says he can't kidnap me until next weekend anyway!"

Zelda raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She then stood up and left Peach's presence.

The very last float was a cramped little train with Link and Sonic standing on the top and waving. Samus and Kirby were sticking out the windows. Amy was on the back throwing rose pedals out. She gasped when Zelda was running to catch up. Amy chuckled, stuck out a hand, and pull her up.

"Last minute thoughts?" she teased.

"Heh…yeah…" Zelda panted, taking a handful of pedal and tossing them behind the float. "Why would I want to miss out on something with my friends?"

"Peach didn't want to come?"

"She had princess duties to attend to."

"Oh yeah."

They both waved up to the balcony where Peach was, and Peach waved back. The two girl tossed one last batch of pedals in her honor, making it worthwhile when they fluttered about in the air.

*^*

Later that night, the parade was still going, and Link told Peach they wanted to ride in another float. Peach said she really didn't care, and Link told everyone they were getting another go. He led them down the stairs to where Peach had one last, secret float…

The Seven Star Spirits all appeared out of thin air onto a platform with pine trees. Two expert penguin figure skaters were so good, they could skate on asphalt! They were leading the mayor and his wife, giving them a proper introduction. A green toad was conducting a small professional Toad orchestra on a small flashy float. Everyone ohhed at it, and ahhhed when the famous Toad singer, Brittoad Spears, rose out of the inside and started singing.

"Wow! I love Brittoad! How'd you manage to get her?" Amy wondered, waiting for her next float to get done. She stayed with Peach this time as Zelda went to help out.

"Just wait! The good floats are just getting started!" Peach promised.

Two Amazy Dayzies sparkled in front of Merlon's lit up float, with him and his entire family doing magic. The Sun (Huh???) hovered behind them, and looked down on two marching bulb-ulbers. A small red Shy Guy ran up, with two light sticks waving around. He called in another big and show-offy float which popped open to find General Guy performing with two normal Shy Guys at his side and four talented Groove Guys. Another dozen came up behind them, spun once, and ran off. One was left behind, the one that always tripped. Speaking of, he tripped at that moment and landed on his masked face.

"Aw! Poor little guy!" cooed Amy.

"Don't look at me! That wasn't in the script!" Peach defended with her hands up. She looked at a watch on her hand, grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her out the door.

A few moments later, The Toad Marching Band marched once again, their colored spots flashing with every step. A small black float rolled behind them, and everyone was confused. Suddenly, it sprang up, lighting almost as bright as a star, with Link, Sonic, Samus, Kirby, Zelda, and Amy striking poses. Link had his sword in air, Sonic was giving a usual thumbs up, Kirby was jumping in the air with a large smile, and Samus had her cannon pointed upward with her hand on her hip. Zelda and Amy were in the front; Zelda standing so her dress was flowing out and Amy curtsying and winking. They were leading one of the most important floats in the parade, the one with Mario and Peach on it! It was incredibly bright, and had a mushroom in the front with a star on it. The two waved at the crowd, now in an excited riot mode. The patrons of the previous float flipped onto theirs and waved with them. Mario grinned even bigger, if that was possible.

"Like we'd go the entire parade without going on a float with you!" Link scoffed, standing next to Mario. Sonic landed behind them, after doing a Spin Dash, and folded his arms with a finger pointing out. Kirby floated by them, flying and waving by their head. Samus' performed a Screw Attack before joining them. Zelda spun in the air with a yellow ribbon streaking around her with sparkles, and landed with a whoosh next to Peach. Amy, wishing she could do a spin dash, awkwardly somersaulted in the air and stumbled beside them.

"Getting better Amy!" complimented Sonic. Amy beamed.

"So Peach! Thought we were just going to have our own float without you?" Zelda smirked.

"Hm…now that I think about it, our bond is too close now to break!" Peach giggled.

"You'd better believe it!" Amy added, joining them. Surprisingly, Twink shot next to them like a shooting star, waved to the crowd, and waved to everyone on the float. They all waved back, and Twink disappeared, happy he could see them all one last time. The parade briefly stopped, Peach glanced a everyone, and everyone nodded. They stepped off the float just before it continued to move, and they walked back down the path to the town.

* * *

They ended up at Mario's House, with Peach and Mario turning to look at their friends.

"So…Is it time to go?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, it's about time we returned to Mobius. I need a Chili Dog from back home!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Oh, Amy!" Zelda cried, running into a hug.

"Don't do this! I'll start bawling!" Amy moaned, already leaking a few tears.

"I promised myself but…oh!"

They both stood in a wet hug for several moments, everyone letting them have their time. They pulled apart then tackled Peach.

"Peach…promise us that we can have another little get together, okay?" Zelda sniffled.

"Oh…okay…" was the reply.

"We'll be waiting!" Amy choked.

Zelda wiped her tears away and looked at Amy. "Amy…you are so dramatic!"

"Like you're one to talk!"

Peach shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry! We'll meet again soon, I promise."

"Good! I wouldn't want our only meeting to be in vain!" Zelda laughed.

"Speaking of, I got something for both of you…" Peach said, pulling out two wrapped gifts.

"Peach! You shouldn't have!" Zelda gasped, pulling out a blue Tri-force pendent. "It's beautiful…it's perfect!"

"Eeee! My own seeds for Amy Roses! Squee!" Amy shrieked.

"I'll never be able to understand why you love them so much, but if they make you happy, then you deserve to have some!" shrugged Peach. Amy stared, her lip quivering. Then, she suddenly lashed out in more tears.

"I'M GOING TO MISS YOU SO MUCH!" she wailed, flinging herself into Zelda's arms again.

"Amy…come on…" Sonic slightly scolded. Amy heard his voice and wiped her sadness away.

"Sorry…I hate crying in public, but it's so emotional!" she apologized. "Good-bye Peach. I'll never forget your kindness…"

"See you later Peach!" Zelda called, walking away with Amy.

"Good-bye!" Peach called back, waving madly.

"Are you coming Sonic?" Amy questioned.

"Yeah…just give me a moment to say my less-dramatic good-byes, okay?"

"Oooohhh, Sometimes, Sonikku, you get on my nerves so much!!!" Amy gritted. She pulled out her hammer, angrily brought it past her head and past her back, slammed it on the ground before her, vanishing with the very movement of the swing.

"Don't be long Link!" Zelda requested. "I won't be very safe by myself without the hero of time!" She crouched down very low, spun with her ribbon once again, and disappeared in the same state as Amy.

"Good-bye…" Peach whispered to the empty space. She let one tear slide down her cheek, unlike Amy who let herself go loose. She clasped her hands together and twisted around to watch Mario say his good-byes.

*^*

"I guess we leave now…" Samus sated while scratching the back of her suit-covered head. Mario looked down while he nodded.

"How is this going to be hard? We already left once!" Sonic stated.

"Yeah, but last time, we knew we we're coming back!" Link pointed out.

"Right…"

"Where did Kirby go?"

All four scanned the area, only to find no Kirby.

"He's probably saying a private good-bye to Bow…" Link cut off. Everyone agreed.

*^*

"Kirby…as long as you promise me I'll see you again, I'll have a reason to keep going on, do you hear me?" Bow demanded.

"Why's you have to say that for? It's like if I didn't promise you'd die!" complained Kirby. Bow mumbled something muffled under her breath, but looked back up into Kirby's eyes.

"Good-bye Kirby…" she said softly, pulling him into an embrace. Kirby returned the favor.

"Good-bye Bow…"

Kirby pulled away and patted both of Lady Bow's bows. "Whenever you think of me, just remember your bows and why you wear them. Okay?"

"Okay."

"C'mon!" Kirby said, breaking out into a smile. "I'll be back- don't know how often, but I will soon!"

Bow floated up and kissed Kirby's cheek. "Yeah I know. I just like making a scene."

Kirby fainted-again. Bow chuckled, face behind her fan.

*^*

"Link! Wait!" Bombette shouted, running through the brush and what not. With one large leap, she landed into Link awaiting arms and sobbed into his torso. "Can't you take me with you? Please?"

"As much as I would love to Bombette, you need to stay here!" Link explained. "When Kooper goes on adventures with Kolorado, he needs you to be there when he comes back!"

"What about you? When you leave, I'll have no one to come back to!"

"Urgh…"

"Link, are you _crying_?"

"WHAT! No, I'm too manly for tears! Psh…don't know what gave you THAT idea…"

"There's a big fat tear right there! Opp! Hey, I caught it!"

"Sonic, stay out of this…"

"Just trying to help the truth!"

Link set Bombette down, and told her to be strong. She nodded, and Kooper also came down the secret path, along with Lakilester, Sushie, and Goombario.

"Hi Bombette! Link's right. If you want him to come back, you have to be a good girl!"

"Why are you talking to me like my dad?"

"…it seemed like the right advice…" Kooper began, reading off a piece of paper. "…what? Who writes this junk? Ahem…anyway, I'll still be here, and all the other partners too!"

Bombette let out one last sob, and nodded. "Kooper…take me home. I'm sorry Link, if I watch you leave, I'll explode and won't be able to put myself back together…"

Link smiled and winked. "I understand. When I use another bomb, I'll remember you, Bombette! Of course, no explosive could beat you by a long shot!"

Bombette grinned. "I'm the best ball of dynamite around baby!"

"Ya got that right! Good-bye Bombette!"

"Good-bye!"

"Bye everybody!" yelled Kooper. "It's been tight!"

"Sayonara, Kooper! You've been a great buddy…" Sonic called.

"Sorry I wasn't your Soul Partner…"

"Me too…though I kinda didn't expect to be it either…" Sushie added.

"When everyone was talking about you, I thought for sure I would be it but-" Kooper continued.

"That's not your fault, maybe I'll find them one day…but right now, I guess I should thank you for helping me…"

"Ha, no problem!" Kooper winked. "I won't be forgetting Sonic the Hedgehog anytime soon!"

"Yeah! We're talking about a Inter-dimensional super hero!" Sushie grinned, already hopping off to leave. "Bye Sonic!" Sonic smirked and saluted her good-bye.

"See ya Kooper. Won't forget you either." Link answered. "Don't get hurt while traveling with Kolorado, okay?"

Kooper made a face, waved to Mario, Sonic, Samus, and Kirby who was returning, and placed his hand on Bombette's back and led her away.

Lakilester flew up to Samus. "Whoa, whoa! You're leaving!?"

"Yeah! I thought you knew!"

Lakilester frowned. "Can I…have a hug to say good-bye?"

Samus almost guffawed, but held her laugh in. "Uh…I can think of three good reasons for why I'm not going to do that. One, I don't do hugs, two, I'd crush you if I did, and three, Lakilulu is keeping a close eye on you from over there…see!"

Now it was Lakilester's turn to laugh. "Yeah…I guess you're right. High-five then?"

Samus took a moment to think it over, and nodded. She held her non-cannon hand up for Lakilester to smack back.

"Bye Lakilester! It was nice meeting you!" Samus told him.

"Bye Samus! See ya on the flip side!" Lakilester replied, leaving to rejoin his girlfriend.

"You're finally leaving! That's the greatest thing I ever heard!" cried Goombario.

"I know! No more you being a pain in the butt!" sighed Link happily. "Although…"

"We pitched in and got you a little something…" grunted Samus in a whisper.

"We felt "sorta" bad about treating you a "bit" harshly…" stumbled Sonic, rubbing the back of his head.

"So here's a peace offering!" Kirby finished.

Link's arm sprang out with a beaming Ultra Shroom in his hand. Goombario almost collapsed as he gulped down the sacred treat. Link had to look away for the entire time.

"I--I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-"

"Get on with it!"

"I don't know what to say! I came here to yell at you, but now…wow. Thanks! That WAS the best thing EVER!!!!!!"

"I know right! Sooo…um, Goombario? Can we hurt you one last time? Just for old times' sake?" wondered Link.

"Why not? You'd probably do it anyway…"

"Heck yes. We still don't really care what you say anyway."

All four ex-Goombario haters got together. Link and Sonic kicked him, Samus launched a missile, and Kirby smacked him into the sky with his hammer.

"Bye Goombario!" they all called.

"OWWWWWWWW!!!! Good riddance! I'll try to forget you!"

"We'll try to forget you too!"

They all sighed, and Mario put on a confused look.

"ah, I love happy endings…" breathed Link.

"Sorry we put you on hold Mario. You know, good-byes…" Sonic remarked.

Mario said it was cool, he understood. Samus walked up to him and shook his hand.

"Mario…you're a pretty cool guy! Under the hat and mustache is a pretty tough fighter, especially one that can hang with me all that time!" Samus chuckled. Mario chuckled too. "I hope to see you again! Maybe next time I won't be so reckless…"

The other three cackled and she stared them down until they begged for forgiveness.

"Bye Mario!" Samus called, lighting up her cannon for the final time. She aimed it at the ground, causing the clash to strike a bright white, followed by a cloud of gray smoke. When it settled, Samus was gone. Kirby waddled up to Mario next.

"So Mario! What are you going to do without me?" he asked.

Mario said probably save Peach again. Peach made a face behind him.

"Yeah, at least you HAVE things to do…hey! Maybe one day we can figure out how you can teleport so you can go on an adventure with us? How's that sound?"

Mario: :)

"Sweet. Well-" he pulled out his Warp Star and tucked it under his small arm. "Looks like I'm leaving next. Oh! One more thing!"

He reached on his tippy toes to whisper in the red-capped hero's ear. "Keep an eye on Bow for me, okay?"

Mario nodded.

"With that, I'm out! Later!" Kirby jumped on his Warp Star, did a 360 while waving at Mario and blasted off into the sky, disappearing in a little white spark. Kirby had left. Mario stared into the sky, wondering how they managed to do that. Hey, Kirby had said Mario could teleport if he wanted to, he just needed to find out how. As he drifted in thought about it, Sonic sped next to him so fast, his hat almost blew off with the aftermath.

"Sorry about that." Sonic stated, twisting the red cap back in its original position. "I didn't mean to make such a fast good-bye."

Mario gave a thumbs up. Sonic returned the favor with a smile.

"Hey…thanks for saving my life man. I know Link went a little crazy, but he knows I'm usually the one to save people, never the other way around. He was just afraid of how I would react. Here I am now!" Sonic spread his arms wide and laughed. "A few places were a little dull, but some of them really got my blood pumping! I'll totally come back for sure!"

He laughed his small laugh while flashing a peace sign to Mario. "I know I always say this, but we should do this again sometime! See ya next time! Hup!" Sonic jumped in place, curled into a rapidly spinning ball, going faster and faster as if he was running. "Pretty cool, huh?" Soon, he was going so fast he left in the blink of an eye, which is exactly what Mario did. Now Sonic had gone home.

"heh heh…no matter what Sonic says, his good-byes are always quick…" Link chuckled from the side. Mario turned his head to agree. Link walked next to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "I ought to thank you. You've have to put up with me since the very beginning! Don't say we were no trouble, because we were. I'd hate to admit it, but I agree that SOME of my jokes are bad…not all of them, just some!"

They shared a laugh. "Anyway, in all that time, I managed to gain a friend."

Mario: Me too!

"Either way, I can give you a promise on my Tri-force we will see you again, no matter what it takes! You're part of the group now, remember that. When we come back, I hope you'll remember that and join in. Kirby did say you have a way to teleport. Perhaps when we return you'll figure it out so we can travel together! You know, with the rest of us!"

Mario nodded and said he'd look forward to it. Link grabbed his sword. "Mario…next to Sonic, you're my best friend. You've always been there; you never got too mad, and took charge when the time called… Kirby's just a close friend, but sometimes he gets into his own world so much it makes me insane!"

Mario put his hand to his head and shook it. Link laughed and pulled the sword out of the sleeve. "I do that when I think about it too. Samus…pah, you know how she is. Bold. She always has the opposite opinion of you, but that keeps you balanced out. Though, most of the time she's usually right…and Sonic's just downright awesome! Sorry Mario, I've known him a bit longer and had more time to get to know him than me with you…"

The plumber agreed again. "so…" he yanked his sword completely out. "Good-bye, my friend!" He started to raise his sword above his head. "Until we meet again soon!" In an instant, Link brought the sword down and did a 360 slice over and over again. He was spinning like a top on the toe of his boot, sword lashed out in front of him. Mario told him good-bye, and he could've sworn Link winked at him. Soon, with one last circle, Link was gone too. Mario sniffled a little bit, though he was too manly to cry. Peach came to his side and led him up onto his porch, where the two stared into the star filled sky, wishing their friends happy travels.

Mario knew they'd come back. Link had promised.

* * *

**O.M.G. I could faint. We're finished! My first fully sucessful fanfic! Sweet!! **

**Sister: She couldn't have done it without me!**

**This is true. I thank you too.**

**Sister: It's only natural...**

**Don't push it. Anyway, the thank yous!**

**Sister: Oh boy...**

**It won't take THAT long...I'll simply name my top 5 reviewers, but I honestly do thank everyone else. **

**Sister: I'll pull up a chair...**

**You're already in one! Anyway, my absolute five favorite reviewers would have to be...The Yoshter for being _so_ awesome in everything, from reviews to a few references, and actually helping me develop a few ideas, XIV for enjoying this story SO much (almost every chapter is the best to him ;D), Pikana for giving this a chance in the first place, Piklink for (like everyone else in the top 5) reviewing nearly every chapter, and Riku's Music Lover for being so supportive! Wow!**

**Sister: I'd have to agree with those people.**

**EVERYONE has been so cool, and really helped me push to get this thing done (which was finished way back in March, BTW) and...well, I just can't say thanks enough. I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the sequel!**

**Which I can guarantee is a good as, if not better, than this one. ;)**


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